The Cursed Lands

by Timothy L. Cerepaka

  So Sarzen, Carnus, and Zomo walked back over to the table where the Elect were seated. The Elect appeared to have finished discussing the idea, because they were no longer talking. But Sarzen couldn’t tell what decision or consensus they had come to on the issue, if any.

  “All right,” said Carnus as he, Sarzen, and Zomo stopped in front of the table. “The Warrior Priest Order supports Sarzen’s plan to lead a team to seek out the Dragon Gods. Have you Elect come to a decision on the matter yet?”

  “We were just about to vote on it,” said Agon. He looked at the Elect. “Is everyone ready to vote?”

  The Elect nodded their heads, though the rude one—Galo, Sarzen remembered his name was—looked disgruntled, as if they had already voted on the subject and he was dissatisfied with the results.

  “All in favor of increasing border security and sending a team of people, led by Sarzen Alnem of the Warrior Priest Order, to find the Dragon Gods to help us defeat the Draymens?” said Agon.

  Sarzen expected no one to raise their hands, but to his surprise, almost the entirety of the Elect Council, including Agon, raised their hands in affirmation. Only Galo did not raise his hand; he kept it down by his side.

  “And against?” said Agon.

  Galo raised his hand, but he still didn’t look happy, probably because he knew that he had been outvoted.

  “It appears that we have voted nine to one in favor,” said Agon. He looked at the Warrior Priests. “Therefore, you Warrior Priests should get started on forming the team that will find the Dragon Gods, as well as figuring out the travel details. The Elect will provide your team with whatever resources they will need, so you need not worry about that.”

  “Thank you, Councilman Agon,” said Carnus, bowing along with Sarzen and Zomo. “We will return to the Sanctuary and inform the rest of the Order of your decision. Sarzen, Zomo, come.”

  Carnus turned and left the room, with Sarzen and Zomo following closely behind. Sarzen felt relieved that the Elect had agreed to his plan, but at the same time, there was a small sense of dread rising up his back, because he had no idea what lay beyond the Cursed Lands and he hoped that he and his team would be able to handle it.

  We must, Sarzen thought as they passed through the open doors and into the empty hallway again. And with the aid of the Dragon Gods, we will.

  ***

  Chapter Six

  Not long after, Sarzen, Carnus, and Zomo returned to the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was located on the other side of the city, near the large border walls that had been built ages ago when the Dragon Gods first gave these mountains to the Yoresian people. It was a beautiful building, said to have been one of the first built by the ancient Yoresians in order to give honor to the Dragon Gods and a place for the Warrior Priests to stay. It had a white stone exterior and looked somewhat like a castle, albeit smaller and humbler than most.

  But as they entered the Sanctuary’s walls, passing beyond the open gates, Sarzen could not help but notice just how quiet and empty the place felt. Ever since Renuk’s death, the Sanctuary had been even quieter than usual, like a thick smog hung over the place, choking any life and enthusiasm and conversation out of the Warrior Priests. Granted, the place was never very loud or exciting, due to how few Warrior Priests lived here, but things just seemed depressing, which was why Sarzen found it hard to return.

  Upon their return, Carnus called a quick meeting of the Order in the hall where the Altar was kept and where Renuk had been killed. Carnus explained to the others how their meeting with the Elect Council had gone and what they were going to do in response to the Draymens attack. Most of the Warrior Priests were surprised at hearing that a team would be sent to search for the Dragon Gods and that Sarzen would lead it, but as far as Sarzen could tell, no one objected to it. A few of them even looked happy, perhaps because if the mission was successful, then they would be the first generation of Warrior Priests to see the Dragon Gods in 500 years.

  Carnus also said that they were likely going to send out the team sometime within the next two weeks and that, in the meantime, the Warrior Priests would pray to the Dragon Gods for guidance on the matter. When he dismissed the meeting, Sarzen heard all kinds of speculation and discussion from the others about who would be picked to go on the mission and what kind of dangers and threats existed beyond the Cursed Lands.

  But Sarzen didn’t stick around for any of it. He just retired to his room, which was located on the east side of the Sanctuary where the Acolytes were supposed to stay during their training. The other Acolytes, however, did not go with him and just stayed with the rest of the Order speculating and discussing, but that was fine because Sarzen wasn’t in the mood to think about this. He was just too overwhelmed with nerves to talk about it and wanted to rest for a while to calm his mind.

  So when Sarzen entered his room and closed the door behind him, he made his way over to his small, but warm and comfortable, bed in the corner of the room. He was just about to lie down on it and go to sleep when a voice behind him suddenly said, “Hey, Sarzen! Been waiting for you. How’d the meeting with the Elect go?”

  Sarzen whirled around to see his friend, Rothel, sitting on a chair near the door. Sarzen at first wondered how he had missed Rothel until he realized that the chair was set behind the door.

  Rothel sat leaning back against the wall, his hands folded behind his head and a necklace of magical beads around his neck. He wore his usual brown tunic, though he also had a heavy wool coat on, probably because it was cold today.

  “Rothel?” said Sarzen. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

  “You left the door unlocked,” Rothel said, gesturing at the closed door. “And I wanted to speak with you, so I just decided to hang out in your room until you returned, because I knew you’d be here sooner or later.”

  Sarzen scowled. “Without my permission?”

  “Hey, you’re my best friend,” said Rothel. He sat upright. “I didn’t even touch your things. Trust me, I just sat here for the entire time. I promise.”

  Sarzen made a mental note to check on his possessions later to make sure that Rothel hadn’t actually messed with them, but for now, he said, “Why are you here? What do you want to talk about?”

  “The meeting with the Elect,” said Rothel. “I want to know how it went. How are we going to deal with the Draymens threat?”

  Sarzen told Rothel, in brief terms, what the Elect Council and the Warrior Priests were going to do about the Draymens threat. Rothel listened well, but when Sarzen mentioned that he was going to look for the Dragon Gods, a look of surprise and intrigue appeared on Rothel’s face before it was replaced by his usual calm expression.

  “So you are going to search for the Dragon Gods?” said Rothel. “Is that it?”

  “Yes,” said Sarzen, nodding. “I am going to lead a team to find them beyond the Cursed Lands. We’re going to try to convince them to return to Yores and help us defeat the Draymens.”

  “Who’s going to be on the team?” said Rothel.

  “We haven’t decided yet,” said Sarzen. “We won’t actually be leaving for a couple of weeks, because we need to get the travel details figured out and everything.”

  “I see,” said Rothel. “Do you know how you will go about picking your teammates?”

  “Not sure yet,” said Sarzen with a shrug. “I think High Priest Carnus will make the final decisions on that. I doubt I will get much say in it. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, I don’t know, I was just thinking that maybe I could come along,” said Rothel. “I wouldn’t mind helping to find the Dragon Gods. Sounds like fun.”

  Sarzen looked at Rothel in surprise. “Why do you want to help find the Dragon Gods? I never took you as a very strong believer in them.”

  “I’m not, admittedly,” said Rothel. “But you are my friend and I want to support you. Besides, I sense that the mood in the city is just going to get worse and worse in the coming months, whether there’s a Draymens attack or
not. I think the mood in your group will be a lot more hopeful.”

  Although Rothel spoke as freely and casually as ever, Sarzen thought that Rothel wasn’t being exactly honest about his reasons for wanting to join the team. Rothel appeared to have another reason for wanting to come along on the quest, but what it was, Sarzen didn’t know. He doubted it was anything wrong, however; he would worry about it later, maybe, when he’d gotten a chance to take his nap and rest his mind.

  “And why don’t you want me to come, by the way?” said Rothel. “We’re friends, right? Are you against traveling with your friends or something?”

  “No, no, it’s just …” Sarzen trailed off for a moment, thinking, before he came up with a reason. “It’s just I don’t know how helpful you would be on the journey. And I don’t want you to get hurt, either.”

  Rothel smiled and tugged at his necklace. “I’m a mage, Sarzen. I can do all sorts of crazy magic tricks. You know how useful mages are. I’m sure I have a spell or two that would prove invaluable for the trip.”

  “Well, I can’t argue with that,” said Sarzen. “Mages are always useful for these kinds of trips. Speaking of mages, I wonder if Helnia would like to come along, as well.”

  “Eh, I doubt it,” said Rothel. “She doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d enjoy traveling across the vast, unfriendly wilderness in search of gods she doesn’t even worship.”

  “You’ve got a point,” said Sarzen. He scratched his chin. “Still, Helnia will need to know about this sooner or later, so maybe I will go and ask her if she’d like to come later. Ever since we escaped the destruction of our hometown in the plains, we’ve never lived very far apart from each other and I’d like to make sure that she at least knows about this, if nothing else.”

  “Aye,” said Rothel, nodding. Then he hesitated, looked around, and said, “Sarzen, can I tell you something?”

  Rothel’s secretive behavior puzzled and intrigued Sarzen, causing him to say, “Sure, Rothel. You can tell me anything. I’m your friend.”

  “Okay,” said Rothel. He tugged at a strand of his hair as he said, “When I came to the Sanctuary earlier today, I overheard a couple of your fellow Warrior Priests talking about the murder of Renuk.”

  “Yeah, I know,” said Sarzen. “Everyone’s been talking about it.”

  “But they weren’t just talking,” said Rothel. “They thought … well, they thought you murdered Renuk.”

  Sarzen stared at Rothel in shock. “Me? Why? What made them think that?”

  “Because you were the only person to witness Renuk’s murder and you didn’t have any proof of the assassin’s existence,” said Rothel. “At least, that’s what I heard them saying. I didn’t stick around and listen too closely, however, because I was trying to get to your room.”

  “What a ridiculous theory,” said Sarzen. “And what do they mean, ‘no proof’? I showed everyone the Draymens’ bone sword, the exact weapon used to kill Renuk. Humans don’t use bone swords, only Draymens do, and I can’t fake one myself even if I tried.”

  “That may all be true, but they seemed pretty convinced that you could have easily faked it somehow,” said Rothel. “I, personally, don’t believe you murdered Renuk, but some of your fellow Warrior Priests are at least playing around with the theory. Just thought you should know.”

  Sarzen frowned. He sat down on his bed and rubbed his forehead, trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. “I can’t believe it. Why would any of my fellow Warrior Priests suspect me of murder? They know how close I was to Renuk. It must be their grief over Renuk’s death distorting their minds or something.”

  “Probably,” said Rothel. “I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better, Sar, but this is just what I heard. I don’t know how widespread it is among your fellow Warrior Priests, so it might not be anything worth worrying about.”

  “It is if they start spreading it among the others,” said Sarzen. “Tell me, Rothel, do you remember who was talking about it?”

  “No,” said Rothel, shaking his head. “I’m not very familiar with the Warrior Priests, aside from you and Renuk, plus I didn’t actually see them. I just heard their voices coming from a room I passed; I didn’t stay long enough to hear what else they were talking about.”

  “This is bad,” said Sarzen. “But like you said, maybe I don’t have to worry about it. Maybe it’s just speculation. I doubt they will act on it, because they don’t have any real proof to back it up.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably all you have to worry about,” said Rothel. “I just wanted to make sure you knew about it so that, if anything comes of it, it won’t come as a surprise.”

  “I hope it’s all I will have to worry about,” said Sarzen. “Because I do not want the rest of the Order to suspect me of murder. That would be horrible; it might even make Carnus decide not to let me lead the team.”

  “Agreed,” said Rothel. “Anyway, I think I need to go. Remember to mention me to the High Priest so that I—”

  There was a sudden, sharp knock at the door, causing both Sarzen and Rothel to look at it.

  “Who’s there?” Sarzen called.

  “Zomo,” said the voice, which was slightly muffled behind the door. “I have come to deliver some important news to you, Sarzen. May I come in?”

  Sarzen and Rothel exchanged curious, but slightly worried, glances. Sarzen hoped it had nothing to do with the theories that he murdered Renuk, but he got up and walked over to the door anyway, since he couldn’t just ignore it.

  Opening the door, Sarzen saw Zomo standing in the doorway. Zomo did not seem to be armed, nor did he carry any shackles with him, which meant that he was probably not here to arrest Sarzen, which helped him to relax a little.

  But Zomo did look serious, and when Sarzen opened the door, he said, “I am sorry for coming to your quarters like this, but the news I just heard needed to be delivered to you right away and I volunteered to do it.”

  “It’s fine, Zomo,” said Sarzen. “What is the news, anyway? Was there another Draymens attack?”

  Zomo shook his head. “No. But Renuk’s grave …”

  A sense of dread went up Sarzen’s spine, causing him to say, “What about Renuk’s grave? What happened to it?”

  Zomo looked Sarzen straight in the eyes and said, “It has been dug up and Renuk’s body is now missing.”

  ***

  Chapter Seven

  Maybe Helnia should have told Sarzen about the letter that she’d received in the graveyard last week. Maybe she should have told him that it was from their parents, that it was the very first letter she’d received from them since their demise ten years ago. After all, they were Sarzen’s parents just as much as they were hers. If the situation had been reversed, she would have wanted Sarzen to show her the letter, the first clue hinting toward the survival of their parents.

  But Helnia hadn’t. Sitting on her bed in her apartment on the west end of the city, Helnia looked over the letter again. It was crinkly from having been folded, but the ink was still quite readable. She guessed the letter had been written a few weeks ago, but she had no way of knowing for sure, since the letter writer hadn’t dated the letter.

  Even though Helnia had already read the letter dozens, if not hundreds, of times over the last week, she read through it again one more time as she looked at it:

  Kerina and Namil Alnem

  Dear Helnia,

  You might be shocked to receive this letter from us. It has been ten years since you and Sarzen fled our hometown after it was destroyed by the Draymens. We know that you and Sarzen believe that we died, that we were killed by the Draymens, but we are, in fact, still alive.

  We wish we could have contacted you earlier than this, but until recently, we’ve been unable to sit down and write a letter to you or Sarzen, much less have it delivered into Ars. Due to the sensitive nature of our current location, we cannot go into very much detail about where we are and why we have not contacted you two since our separ
ation ten years ago.

  But things are changing in Yores, changing fast, and the time for our family to reunite has come. Please come to Ferro’s Pass, which is located at the center of the Cursed Lands, in two weeks’ time in order to meet us. Make sure to bring Sarzen with you so he can meet us as well.

  From, your parents.

  Helnia still wasn’t sure it was real. It just seemed too … convenient, for want of a better word. She wanted to believe that it was real, that it really had been written by her parents, that they had somehow managed to send it to her, despite apparently being far away from Ars.

  Yet Helnia had her doubts. Why did their parents send her a letter just now, rather than at some point before? Sure, their letter said they hadn’t contacted her or Sarzen due to the ‘sensitive’ nature of their location, but that wasn’t a good enough reason for why their parents hadn’t contacted them for ten years. That was why she hadn’t told Sarzen about this letter yet; she didn’t want to get his hopes up, only for it to turn out that this letter was a fake or part of some weird practical joke or whatever.

  On the other hand, Helnia couldn’t think of anyone who would try to trick her like this. Why would someone go through all of the trouble of writing a fake letter from her parents, having it sent to her, and even giving her specific instructions regarding where she should go if she wanted to see her parents again? It made no sense.

  But Helnia had managed to confirm some of the letter’s details, such as Ferro’s Pass, for example, which Helnia had discovered after a trip to the Ars Magical Library. She had found it mentioned in a book on the lore and myths of the Cursed Lands. It was said to be a place in the Cursed Lands, far away from Yores. Supposedly, it had been named after a mage named Ferro, the first—and only—human to travel the Cursed Lands and live to tell the tale. The Dragon Gods were said to have led the ancient Yoresians over the Pass and were also said to have taken the Pass to leave this world after the Yoresians got rid of them.