Sword Bearer (Return of the Dragons)

by Jacobs, Teddy

  Another squeal sounded, closer now, and I stopped for a moment. Kalle and Kara kept right on picking up and storing the nuts. I picked up two more. Then I looked down one last time. There were no more points of light.

  I looked up at Kalle and Kara with a grin of satisfaction, but they weren’t grinning.

  They were looking out across the clearing.

  Two pairs of red eyes were rapidly approaching.

  Chapter VI

  Keiler. I felt the word in my mind, projected from Kara and Kalle next to me. Wild boars. I’d read about them. A long time ago the keiler had run on the ground, and made their trails through the forest. People had hunted them. Then the hunters had become the hunted.

  The keiler were supposed to have grown to unbelievable sizes, some with tusks the size of a child’s arm. I’d even read that sometimes they spoke, and walked on two legs. At the time I hadn’t believed a word of it. Now I wished I’d paid more attention.

  “Stand tall,” Kalle said. “Remember the strength of your forefathers.”

  “It’s too late to run, isn’t it?” I asked.

  “Their eyes are weak and they hate fire,” Kara said. “If we can hold them off until daybreak, then we may have a chance to flee.”

  I stood tall, like Kalle said. Running away was pointless. Where could I run to? My mind raced instead. How could I simply stand there, weaponless, and await my fate?

  I looked down at my side. My blade hung there, forgotten. Maybe I wasn’t weaponless, after all.

  No, I was fooling myself. It was a wooden blade, a practice tool, a boy’s weapon.

  And yet, it had cut Giancarlo, my blademaster.

  It would have to serve.

  My father had made me practice every morning with a cane, before the blademaster had trained me with the staff. My arms were strong even if my legs were weak. If only I had a length of steel in my hand.

  I drew my blade.

  It glowed green in the darkness, and then it began to sing.

  Without thinking, I spoke a word: feuer, and my hand moved, and the bonfire burst back into flame, and with a flick of the wrist green flame covered my wooden blade, but the blade was unharmed.

  My arm hummed, and then Kalle pulled out a silvery blade, that glowed green too in my third eye. Would I ever close that eye again? The third eye hid nothing.

  Was I imagining it, or could I hear a faint song, too, coming from Kalle’s blade?

  Kara spoke her own word: sonne and a ball of light like a small sun formed over our heads. I felt instantly warmer.

  Kalle spoke a word, and the word was: schnell and he seemed to speed up and be everywhere, all at once, which was good, because that was when the keiler charged.

  I held my blade out, and the blade hummed in my hand. The boar was over six feet long, and as it reached me, it reared up on its hind legs.

  I was sorry to see it was over six feet tall as well.

  But the keiler didn’t attack.

  I glanced over to the side. Kalle and Kara stood shoulder to shoulder, facing off the other boar.

  PRINCESS.

  The shorter boar’s eyes glowed. I realized it was communicating with us. The other boar, half a foot taller, grunted and steam came out of its mouth.

  Princess. Losp and I must bring back the book to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord loves his books. He reads them with so much attention. He sends you this message: give him the book, or die and give him the book. What is your answer?

  Kara snorted.

  He’s no lord of ours. The book was my father’s, and is not mine to give. Take our own message: leave us in peace, or be destroyed and scattered to the four winds.

  SO BE IT.

  The shorter beast jumped. I ducked as it sailed easily over my head. Puah! What a smell. Then it was back, snarling, and spitting burning yellow-green spittle.

  I looked with my third eye for the creature’s heart.

  The blade hummed in my hand and the magical sun above us burned in the darkness before the dawn. Next to me Kalle was a whir of brown and gold and silver, striking the taller beast and drawing thick green magical blood that burned where it hit the ground.

  The shorter beast moved toward me, and spat green spittle. I ducked, and saw the hoof come down at me. I struck it with my blade, and the flaming edge of my blade burned into the beast. I felt the shock of contact run down my arm, through the wooden sword, its edge a line of fire. I spoke a word: brucciare. Fire coursed through the silver pommel into the wooden sword and the pommel turned red hot in my hand but did not burn.

  I struck the keiler again, beneath its head, and my arm went numb. The keiler screamed as it burned, the flames flowing over it and into it.

  There was a smell of roast pork and one last cry of a beast with the mind of a man.

  In that scream I recognized a word, a magical word: Herr.

  I looked into its eyes and the eyes looked at me, with recognition. Then it was dead, and its red eyes went dark.

  I had never killed before. My body shook. I think I was in shock.

  But I was also exhausted from the sword fighting and the spell work. I’d done more practical blade and spell work today than in all of the last year combined.

  I pulled the blade back and took a defensive posture. The flames flickered around the edge of my blade and the blood sizzled.

  Kara and Kalle were still fighting the other beast.

  Kalle was whirling around it, dancing with his short silver blade. Kara smote it with a long thin sword and it howled. Again the howl hit me right in the heart.

  The keiler turned to face us, looked at me and it said the word again, its dying eyes boring into mine.

  Herr.

  Kalle struck it one last time. Again the scream moved through my body. Why me? Why did their death cries affect me like that? Why did they call me Herr?

  Kara turned to Kalle then. “Why did they say that to him?” she asked. “Can his blood be recognized here in the Schwarzwald?”

  I had no idea what she was talking about. My teeth chattered. My whole body shook. I needed to sit down. I sank to my knees instead, closed my eyes and fell to the ground. I so wanted to sleep, even here, covered in blood, and so cold, on this frozen ground.

  “He’s weak, Kara. He’s used himself up getting here and killing that keiler.”

  “I doubt he’s ever killed before.”

  “He fought like a warrior,” Kalle said.

  “But look how he’s trembling now,” Kara replied.

  “Let’s get him out of here,” Kalle said. “Before they come for us, again.”

  Four hands were pulling me up then. I opened my eyes and my vision swam, then slowly came into focus.

  My legs felt loose and disobedient but Kara steadied me.

  “We must flee now,” she said. “The keiler always travel in packs. They will soon be here in numbers we could never hope to overcome. Eat the nuts — they must be cool by now — and drink this water, and then, we run, as kin.”

  Kara popped nuts into my mouth. I focused all my remaining energy on chewing. Warmth spread slowly from my mouth through the rest of my body. She held up water, and I drank.

  Water had never before tasted so sweet.

  Finally I stopped shivering, and pulled away from her.

  I looked at them, watching them quickly eat and drink. Then it was time.

  Kara kissed me on the forehead, and whispered a word: anima.

  More energy flowed into me, through her kiss, through the word. I felt warmer and lighter, and firmer of foot.

  Kalle looked off into the darkness, and then he pointed. In the distance I could almost see the glow of the keiler hoard. There must have been dozens of them, but they were still far off.

  Approaching quickly, but there was time to flee, if we ran now.

  Maybe.

  I looked down at the wild boar creature beneath me. Why had it called me Herr?

  There were so many questions.

  But there was no
time.

  Far off in the distance, came a squeal that was a scream, echoed by another, and another. I felt the hair on my arms and neck stand up straight.

  “They’re in a rage,” I said. I don’t know how, but somehow, I knew this.

  Kalle nodded. “Run,” he said. “Run as if your feet were feathers, and they blew in a gust of wind.”

  And we ran.

  Chapter VII

  The forest lightened around us as we ran. Dawn was approaching. I hoped the keiler would fear the sun, but in the black forest, the Schwarzwald, would the sun make any difference?

  A branch whipped my face.

  Just for a moment, I hadn’t been looking. It felt like I’d been slapped.

  I would have to be more careful. No use running into a tree and ending up on the ground, food for the keiler.

  They were close behind me. Too close, I could feel it. I had no idea where we were but somehow I managed to follow Kara stride for stride — maybe that was part of the spell she’d cast on me when she kissed my forehead.

  The light was definitely stronger now.

  Kara stopped suddenly.

  I stopped short behind her.

  We were in front of a great gate. Maybe it wasn’t so big physically. Not more than ten feet tall. But I could feel its greatness without even opening my third eye. There was a tense humming in the air, and a buzzing sensation on my skin. There were markings all up and down the gate, but they were in no language that I knew. On an impulse I reached my hand out and traced one of the letters.

  As I watched, the letter began to glow, and a low note wafted into the air.

  I pulled my hand away.

  Through the gate was the beginning of a road. It was narrow, and covered with plants that grew between the cobblestones. Perhaps someone walking by wouldn’t have noticed it, but it was a road all the same. A canopy of trees covered it, and it looked like it had not been used for centuries.

  Kara turned to me. “I need to talk to Kalle. This is strange. I’ve seen this road in my dreams. It leads to an ancient city — a city that was once our sister. The location of the city itself was lost in this forest. Perhaps there is still something good there, something that has resisted the dark lord... Perhaps the keiler will fear to enter there.”

  She turned to Kalle, who had stopped just ahead of us, and was kneeling, looking at the road.

  Kalle looked more serious.

  “I was sent here as a scout, to find just this city,” he said. “I’ve searched for days, and now we stumble upon this road. I burn to see where it leads, but I can’t endanger you, princess, nor the book that you carry. Your safe return and the safe return of the book are too important.”

  Kara looked frustrated for a moment. Then she sighed.

  “Are you loyal to the memory of my father, Kalle?”

  Kalle nodded.

  “Of course. I swore allegiance to him. You saw me, princess. You were but a little girl at the time, though, and perhaps you don’t remember.”

  “I remember it well. And you swore allegiance to his bloodline, did you not?”

  Kalle nodded. “Of course I did.”

  “Then, as his daughter, I order you to take us to this city. Perhaps it will offer us safe haven, even if not for long.”

  Kalle’s face had turned red. “You give me no choice but to do what I wanted to do anyway. I should be grateful...” He trailed off.

  “But?” I asked.

  “Kara, I fear this city,” he said finally.

  “The unknown is always feared,” Kara replied.

  “Not without reason.”

  They stood there for a moment. Not far off in the distance, I heard another high pitched squeal.

  Ugh. I hated the noise, I hated the smell of those creatures. And yet they seemed to honor me. The hair stood up on my neck again.

  “Kalle, we can’t wait any longer,” I said. “Let’s follow this path, and quickly, to wherever it will take us.”

  Kalle nodded, and we ran.

  If I figured it would be easier, running on the rock, I was wrong. Perhaps it would have been, centuries ago, but now, though the rock was unbroken, there were obstacles all along its path — strange plants that grew over and onto it.

  But I felt energy underneath them, good energy, and looking at the plants, strange as they were, I think they meant us no harm.

  Suddenly we stopped. Kara had fallen, and looked disgusted with herself. Kalle pointed to the road, and smiled.

  Look at the path with your third eye, and ignore all else. Tremendous energy still flows here.

  Kara looked doubtful. You think we can surf on it? After all these centuries?

  Kalle nodded. He turned to me.

  “We’ll use the path as the ancients intended. They ran chariots without horses above and through the energy field, but sometimes they even rode it directly. It’s supposed to be simple. You just need to see the field, and then you enter it. We should be like boats on a strong current.”

  There was another squeal, nearby, just behind us.

  I cringed. I’d do anything to get away from that noise and what came with it.

  Kara scowled. “Let’s find it quick then, or more blood will be shed. And I’m afraid this time it will be ours.”

  With my third eye I saw a platform, to the side of the road, patchy in spots, but mostly a solid emerald green. And on top of this platform, was a golden stream of energy. Flowing ahead of us at great speed.

  “I think we climb up this platform,” I said, eager to get out of there.

  I took a step onto it, felt something, but my foot went down and hit the road. There was another squeal, closer. My hair stood up on my arms.

  “Close your other eyes,” Kalle said. “You must be blind to enter the stream. I never understood what they meant, before, but now it makes sense. See only with your inner, third eye.”

  The squeals were right behind us.

  I didn’t want to close my eyes. But what could I do besides trust Kalle?

  So I closed them, looking only through the third.

  I could see the platform, a stream of energy. But I also sensed just behind us, red patches of dark magical energy, the eyes of the keiler.

  I hurried onto the platform.

  The green outline of my foot met the platform and it held. With my third eye, I watched the greenish blue energy that was Kara step onto the platform as well. Then Kalle, his life energy a reddish orange, stepped on.

  Their energy was comforting. But I couldn’t ignore the nearness of the keiler. Their squeals resonated in my spine, on my skin. My hair stuck up on my arms and neck.

  Kalle’s life force pulsed with his thoughts. There’s no more time. Enter the stream.

  He was right, of course.

  I took a deep breath, and stepped into the energy.

  It felt like when it had snowed, once, three winters ago, and the roads had become icy.

  Like stepping onto a slippery section of the road, and starting to slip downhill.

  I moved faster and faster, my whole body vibrating as I accelerated, and then I was flying. Through my third eye I watched the outline of the greenery rush past.

  I looked back and saw Kalle and Kara off behind me in the distance. Well, I couldn’t really see them, but I could sense their energy, their life force. I felt light as a feather, and full of energy.

  I could no longer hear or feel the presence of the keiler. This energy we were using would reject them. I was sure, somehow. No keiler would ever be able to ride this.

  I felt a great sense of harmony, at ease suddenly with myself and my surroundings. I could barely even remember that I had a physical body, that I had ever felt out of breath or had my face ache from acne. I was pure energy. No physical weakness, no aches and pains of the flesh.

  My soul sang with the stream. I could feel the souls of Kalle and Kara too, and puzzled at their nature. I felt good and whole.

  I reached back behind me and my arm stretched out al
ong the stream to Kalle, then to Kara. They felt like a buzzing tickle, like a good scratch on itchy skin.

  Kalle chuckled, but Kara put me in my place.

  Anders, control yourself. Bring your essence together. You feel strong now, on this strange energy beam that we ride, but soon we’ll be there. We travel at great speed. If you’re stretched too thin you risk dissipation, or at the very least exhaustion. We’ll need all our strength when we arrive, to find safe haven, and then get out of the Black Forest.

  She had no idea what I felt. Exhaustion? Dissipation? I had never felt so strong, so at ease, free for once from the limits of my body.

  I stretched out a little more.

  A shock ran through my system.

  Kalle had pushed me back.

  We’ll return to our physical bodies any moment, Anders, and to their limitations. Listen to Kara, and pull yourself together. Look ahead, we are reaching our destination, if this great glow is any indication.

  I looked.

  The beam of energy was taking us onwards towards a great circle of colors — red at the very center, surrounded by green, blue, orange, purple, white, yellow... Beams of power radiated in all directions, making a kind of huge luminous dome that surrounded whatever we were approaching.

  Was this some form of protection? I had no idea, but I was going to find out. We were probably still pretty far off, but rapidly approaching.

  Now, Anders, or you risk dissipation!

  I guess I really didn’t want to find out what dissipation meant. I pulled myself together.

  We were slowing down. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the ride ended.

  We hung there, hanging in the air in front of a second gate. That’s what I saw, anyhow, with my third eye. And beyond, a swirl of colors, energy everywhere I looked.

  Step down, Anders, and then open your eyes.

  I looked down and saw with closed eyes that the glowing forms of Kalle and Kara were already below me on what must be the ground. I stepped down, and stood among them.

  “Open your eyes, Anders.”

  The bright sun blinded me for a moment. I blinked a few times.