by Jake Yaniak
Through all of this Revere said nothing, nor could he. He was beaten in his own game and there was nothing left but to endure this ridicule.
'But perhaps I may find some reason to spare you,' Dynamis said thoughtfully. 'Yes, I think there is something that you can do.'
'What does my lord require,' Revere said, forcing good manners.
'The Cheftan's son fights upon the mountain against a foe the army did not expect; that much is correct I assume?'
'Indeed. There is a Conjurer upon those hills, or my word is without worth.'
'Your word is without worth to be sure, though this is true whether there be a Conjurer or not,' Dynamis snapped. 'If you want to save your life, then lead me to the Galva army.'
'But I know not where they are,' Revere said.
'No matter,' Dynamis said as he drew his sword once again. As it left its iron scabbard the metal groaned as though it hungered for blood. 'I am no mean scout myself; I imagine I will have little trouble finding the warriors and their enemies without you.'
'No,' Revere said as he put his hands above his face, 'I will take you, for I know those mountains well. But I cannot promise that you will find anyone still living among the Galva army, if my fears are correct and there is indeed a Conjurer at work.'
'The only fear you seem to know is the thought of your own blood,' Dynamis said with a look of disdain. 'But you will learn to fear more than blood ere I am through with you. And promise nothing; it is only the Master of Causes that can promise without dishonesty or foolishness.'
With these words, and many further insults, Dynamis led Revere to his companions. A horse was prepared and he was given a sword.
'You would give me a sword?' Revere laughed.
'I do not fear your blade,' Dynamis laughed. 'But you should fear to be without it. A hunter's knife will bring you to a swift end on the battlefield.'
Revere looked uneasy. He had been trained to fight, but aside from his exercises he had never actually made use of his abilities.
'Fear not, Revere, stay near us and keep to the back. We will not let you come to harm so long as you are useful to us. But until I judge your debt repaid you will do as I say. I have little patience with deceivers and covenant-breakers.'
The Fall of Peiraso
Maru the eagle had flown the hundred leagues from Soli to Peiraso in one day, stopping only once to fall upon some hapless rabbit in the middle of the night and refresh himself with a well earned meal. He came to the edge of the Noras forest where the trees rose high into the air and guarded the ground from his eyes. These he passed quickly and came to the hill of Peiraso, where Cheft Biron's estate stood. From high above the ground he began circling slowly about, gently descending with every swoop. His keen eyes spotted the window of Cheft Biron and the post on which he would land.
Maru cried loudly as he gently set his talons on the tip of the post and came to the end of his journey. The great bird set about adjusting his feathers and peering warily about the estate. Cheft Biron was not in his room yet, but there was another there to greet him.
'Maru!' Lord Pelas said in a commanding tone. 'Have you done that which I have asked of you?'
Maru looked at him for a moment and then spoke in a clear and bold voice. 'I have flown the coasts of Weldera from north to south and peered through every window in Daevaron, yet I have seen no trace of the one whom you seek.'
'You must not forsake the search, Maru,' Pelas pleaded. 'Fate has decided that he is the only one who can bring justice to the mad Cheftan.'
'Fate has decided?' Maru replied. 'If it is so fated, then you have nothing to fear, the man will appear at the hour appointed to him. Why do you trouble my wings with this request? Are you uncertain of Fate or of your own prophecies?'
'Fate must come, great Maru,' Pelas said, 'But how it will come is not for you to decide. What you must decide is whether you will be the one to bring it about or the one who is swept away by it.'
'Very well,' the great eagle bowed, 'I will continue the search, as soon as I am able. But I serve the god of meat before I serve the god of Falsis! And as long as it is the Cheftan of the Galvahirne that gives me salted meat and other fine foods I will give his commands the preference.'
'You must do as you will. But remember that there are things more important than meat.'
'If there are such things then time and care have erased them from thought and I have altogether forgotten them.'
With those words Pelas vanished and left the eagle alone. Maru once again turned his sharp eyes away from the room to the surrounding estate.
There were a great many people from all over the forest gathered at Peiraso. These people had mainly come from Vivlir-la, Megd-la and Coran-la, where the threat of the goblins seemed the greatest. Cheft Biron had made many efforts to provide shelter and provision for them. Despite Cheft Ponteris' criticism Biron insisted that it would be, 'folly to neglect them. For when danger arises it is not the Cheftans' strength that saves the people. It is the blood of the common man that preserves the Cheftan from his enemies, however clever a Cheftan he may be.'
It was not long before Cheft Biron returned to his room and, seeing the eagle, threw open his window. He fed the great eagle some dried meat, which the bird ate with pleasure. Then he stroked the bird's feathers and praised him, 'Faithful Maru, ever have your ancestors served this household, and I hold you in esteem above all your forefathers.' The bird let out a gentle cry and lifted his talon from the post. Tied to his right ankle was a small leather pouch. Within the pouch Cheft Biron found a letter with the seal of Dynamis.
It was now the nineteenth day of Leonius. The Cheftans had all but departed except for Ponteris and several other important Cheftans. There remained Cheft Daevin and Horan also and Cheft Grendas Cossirne, who was a kinsman of the Lady Marima.
Cheft Biron grew weary of these straggling guests and locked himself away in his chambers for most of the daytime hours and rarely appeared at the evening meals. These he would have brought to him by servants or by his wife. But it was clear that he wished to have no further conversation with the other Cheftans.
His mind was greatly troubled for his son. He had been expecting Revere to bring him news of the goblins by the sixth day of Leonius. His absence made it impossible to persuade the Council of Noras to lend his army any support, as they were permitted to linger in their belief that the goblins upon the mountain were not significant enough of a threat to justify a larger commitment of warriors. They laughed and gave him token words of encouragement, but in his heart he felt certain that something had gone awry. Revere's absence made this feeling even heavier. For if so clever a scout should not escape the perils of the mountain, there must be more than simple hungry raiders at large in the cliffs. And then what would become of his son?
Fear and uncertainty began to take its toll on him and he grew tired and sickly, rarely even leaving his own bedroom. The letter of Dynamis brought his anxiety to a boiling point and he found himself overcome with fear and worry. The letter was written hastily, though with a firm and careful hand. It read:
'To the mighty lord of the sons of Galvahir who rules by right in Peiraso of Galva-la.
'I write this message by the dawn's rosy light on the morning of the eighteenth day of Leonius. The great eagle found me just west of Solibree in Daevaron. I was making haste to return to you, when I received your summons. Now I am of a mind to leave my company behind and rush back to Peiraso faster yet. Maru has found your missing scout some ways to the west of us; we will undoubtedly have him by this afternoon. Clever as he may be, he is no son of Galvahir, and he will not escape our net.
'As for my mission, I must report with a heavy heart that your fears have once more proved true. There is a great mustering of strength in the eastern world, and the old Malvirne city of Dalta is teeming with fighting men. The coasts of Olgrost are now so fortified that it seems only to be a matter of time before they must burst from their shores and seek to plunder other lands. Daev
aron is quaking, and the senators of Kollun are wagging their forked tongues in debate. A smell of war is in the eastern air. But we will speak more of this when I arrive.
One last grave piece of news: You cannot trust Cheftan Oastirne. There have been many strange men passing through Daevaron from Olgrost and Kollun. Under the guise of brigands we waylaid some of them and by many means we drew from them the details of their business. More than ten of them were servants of Ponteris, and there were many more that we did not stop or search; for we did not want to draw any more attention to ourselves than was necessary. We have also heard rumors that the Cheftan himself has visited the Eastern continent, though these reports cannot be taken without suspicion.
'I hope to see beautiful Peiraso soon. Until then, may the mighty Master of Causes see fit to bring you honor and health.
'Your faithful servant, Dynamis'
The Cheftan sat for a long while staring at the letters and considering their meaning. 'The shadows which I have feared are all about me now; but now that they are taking shape it is too late for me to stop them.'
He sat there in silence for a long time, Maru went about adjusting his feathers again. The sun passed over the mountains far to the west and night crept over the land.
Lady Marima brought his dinner to him in his own room that evening. Ailai, one of her servants, carried a pitcher of water and a washing bowl, while Lady Marima carried a tray of hot food, still steaming from beneath wooden lids. They entered the room to find the Cheftan slumped over a chair, weeping.
'Stay, Ailai,' Marima whispered as she entered the room.
The Cheftan's room was not overly large, but it was the best room in the house. His bed was in the center of the room, flush against the north wall. It was made of thick logs of dark-stained oak. On every wall there hung the antlers, horns and skins of many different beasts, including the brilliant white fur of a great wolf.
Lady Marima rushed to his side and helped him to his seat. She wiped his tears with her dress and kissed his forehead. 'The window is open, my lord,' she said softly, 'it is not yet the weather for such things. You will get sick.'
'I care not,' he said. 'I have been betrayed,' he groaned. 'Betrayed and humiliated. The shadow presses upon me, but I have not the wisdom to overcome it. I am not Galvahir, and I scarcely deserve to be called his heir.'
'My lord is being too harsh,' she comforted him, 'Now stop this weeping. I have brought you hot food. Ailai is outside the door. Do you wish her to see the great Cheftan Galvahirne in so sorry a state?'
The Cheftan stood up and walked toward his bed. He sat down on the edge of it and spoke with his head hung low. 'I'm sorry,' he groaned as he cradled his head in his hands. 'I am not myself. It is as though a madness has come upon me.'
'Eat, my lord,' she said, 'You will feel stronger in time, but not if you neglect yourself. You are not an old man yet, and as long as you live there is still hope for our son.'
'You speak well, my love,' Biron said as he lifted his eyes to meet hers. 'Happy was the day that we wed, lady Marima Cossirna!'
They embraced. The Cheftan seemed to regain his strength in an instant and he rose from the bed. 'We have much to do. The scout has betrayed me, to my shame. But Dynamis has found him in Soli of all places. The wretch sought to escape my eyes in Daevaron. But he will not escape the son of Galvahir easily. He will pay dearly for his sins. But first I must see what I can do about the goblins of Coronan. I must see if I can save the Galva army from their doom.'
Lady Marima once more pressed him to eat.
'I cannot eat or drink right now, I must think. I will send Maru back to find Dynamis. Perhaps he can rush to Coronan to help the Galvahirne and their allies in the mountains.' Marima gave him a frustrated look. He laughed and said, 'If you do not wish for the food to spoil, then feed it to the animals.'
With that she kissed his cheek and bowed low. She carried the tray of food out the door and down the hall to her own quarters. 'Ailai,' she called, her servant came hurrying to meet her, 'Come, we will not let this good meal spoil.'
The two ladies passed through the door of her chamber and sat down to sup. There was a hearty soup with onions, potatoes and herbs, a slice of bread with a generous pile of butter heaped upon it, and, under the largest lid, a rather sizable cut of roasted venison. They nibbled at the Cheftan's meal as well as they could, but they were both satisfied long before it was finished.
Ailai rose from her seat and gathered their scraps and dishes into a pile and placed them back on the tray. With a bow and a smile she turned toward the door, preparing to carry the tray down to the servant's kitchen to be washed. Lady Marima leaned back in her chair and rested. She put her hand to her forehead and sighed.
Maru soared high above Peiraso and catching a powerful gust of wind he rose into the heavens and circled around the estate. He turned his eyes eastward toward the town of Soli where he had left Dynamis. It was now dark and he flew under the light of the stars to the east. But as he flew his sharp eyes beheld something moving beneath the cover of the trees on the eastern edge of Peiraso's border.
The great bird circled around, curiously gazing down. His sharp eyes pierced the shadows below and spied a large host moving about in the darkness below. His eyes were as sharp by moonlight as by sunlight and he saw shields and spears glistening under the trees. He screeched and turned in an instant. His body swirled in the wind and he drew in his wings. Suddenly, with a mighty beat of his powerful wings he pushed against the wind and rushed back toward his post at Cheft Biron's window.
Cheft Biron came quickly, for he did not expect the bird to return for at least another two days. 'What is it friend?' he said softly and warily as he opened the window once more. But the eagle leaped from the post and circled above the eastern edge of the forest crying frantically in a shrill voice.
Below Cheft Biron saw the hordes approaching, no more than two leagues from the walls of Peiraso. 'By Agon!' he cried. 'Maru!' he called loudly, the bird responded immediately. By the time the eagle had landed the Cheftan had already scribbled out a hasty letter and sealed it with his ring. 'To Dynamis!' he ordered, 'Fly, faithful servant of the Galvahirne! May Pelas bless your wings with speed tonight. Fly to Dynamis!'
The unique position of the Galvahirne clans had always been a cause of strife among the Noras. The forest was ruled by the descendants of the Nine Heroes, and there was not supposed to be any one family favored over another. But the fame of Galvahir and the bravery of his sons had elevated them to a position of respect and authority that was not rivaled by any other clan.
There were those within the forest who grew envious and hateful of the Galvahirne; Cheft Ponteris being, secretly, the chief of these. Despite his polite demeanor he was full of bitterness and hatred for the Galvahirne and all those who held them in high regard. In particular he abhorred Cheft Biron, who seemed to him to have, 'fortune in measure above what any mortal deserved'.
Now as the moon rose to its height the treacherous Cheftan made his way through the halls of Peiraso. He knew them very well now, as he had spent the better part of the past month acquainting himself with every corner and passage. In his sweaty hand he held a vial, half-filled with poison.
'Biron will be dead by now,' he said to himself as he passed by the Cheftan's door. 'I have taken your home,' he said to the door, as though he spoke to the Cheftan himself. 'My men will be here within the hour to despoil your precious Peiraso. But they will not have to face your wrath. I have learned much from you, friend, and I know the methods of your cooks and your servants. It is a little thing,' Ponteris said, 'to put a bit of poison on a roast or in a bowl of soup. So much for strength of arms!' he laughed loudly.
At that moment he heard from outside the sound of a great eagle screeching. For some reason this sound seemed to freeze his blood and for a moment his haughtiness left him. 'No time for boasts,' he said to himself. 'The great Cheftan is dead, his son soon to perish among the cold rocks of Coronan. Now I have but one
last insult to pay to you, son of Galvahir.'
With those words he turned from the door and walked swiftly but nervously toward the chamber of Lady Marima. 'I have learned this house well,' he whispered, 'But you, lady of Peiraso, have I watched most closely of all.'
He opened the door quickly and shut it behind him. His heart pounded within him nervously and with pangs of both desire and of fear. But as he surveyed the room his heart turned to stone within his chest. For a brief moment he feared he would die of fright. For on the ground at his feet lay the servant girl Ailai with the scraps and dishes of Cheftan Biron's meal scattered about. Beyond her was the Lady Marima, laying still on the ground near the table at which they had dined.
His heart thumped loudly in his own ears as he frantically looked around and paced, as though there was something he might find that could change what had already been done.
'Biron yet breathes!' he said in a broken voice. 'Biron yet breathes!' he rushed from the room and ran down the hall like a frightened hare.
Cheftan Biron had not wasted a moment. Before Ponteris had passed by his chamber, Biron had already made his way out of the house through a secret door (one that Ponteris' snooping had not yet discovered). He rushed out to the peasants and other refugees who had gathered on the lawn of his estate.
'Cheftan!' they hailed him, 'Why such haste?'
'Fly! Fly this moment, for Peiraso is betrayed!' he seemed to them almost mad, but none of them doubted him. 'There is a force of great number marching as we speak from the eastern woods. They come from Lavri-la I have no doubt and they mean to trample into powder all those who are faithful to the house of Galvahir.'
