Farraj led Lov deeper into the field, towards a well in the distance. When they got there, the old man handed Lov a ladle full of water, “Drink deep. It will help you in the long run, and shouldn't hurt too much in the short.”
Lov drained the ladle. He still didn't trust Farraj, but knew he'd never find the unicorn without him. After a moment, he felt himself become energized, all but buzzing with electricity as they sat. Farraj went back into meditation, but Lov couldn't get relaxed again after a taste of the well water. He felt his power surging within him. Lov's dragonhunger pushed him to leave.
As he leaned against the well, the world continued its normal motions, and Lov's guard began to lower. The world slowed down around the young half-dragon, and he felt himself relax completely, while being alert. A sense of calm came over him, and he mellowed next to Farraj.
A cloud approached them at the well. As it came closer, slowly it formed into the shape of a white horse. A large horn stood out from its forehead, a foot long and shining like polished gold. Farraj, a voice said, filling Lov's head, Long time no see, my friend. What's kept you? She appeared to be a young female, at least Lov didn't see any testicles.
“Primara, you won't believe what the seals have done!” Farraj gestured to the land behind them. “They've taken over Rainbow Island! Just past the violet the red starts now, and already the lands are infected by their plants and animals! We must set this right!”
Primara stamped her foot. You bring me grave news, my friend. We must take care of this now!
She gestured Lov and Farraj up onto her back before saying, Hold on, this is going to be a bumpy ride.
As they rode, Lov and the old man clung for dear life, trying not to fall off of this stampeding unicorn. She charged through the lands, covering what took Farraj and Lov three days, in just under an hour. Primara's hooves thundered up the red streets of the Red City towards the castle, and Lov watched in amazement as the unicorn passed through closed portcullises. It was a strange sensation to Lov, feeling the gates of wood and iron pass through his body.
They thundered through the castle, heading for the throne room. A king sat upon a throne, the brown of a seal skin on the wall behind him. He jumped to his feet, prostrating himself on the ground before the unicorn. “Primara, please don't punish me! My forefathers are the ones who conquered the land! All I did was hold it in trust!”
Yes, you held it. When you could have restored all to rights, you held it. Lov and Farraj jumped from Primara's back, and the unicorn touched her horn to the king on the ground. I've taken away your ability to change your skins. You have one day to decide which form you wish to be stuck in. Now remove the crown, so I may choose a race more worthy to control the destiny of this land.
The king removed his crown, grabbing his seal skin, before charging from the throne room. Farraj let out a cackling laugh before saying, “I should have gotten you years ago, Primara. That's the best show I've had in a long time.”
Primara shook her head negatively at Lov. What you ask is an abomination. Never before has it been done.
Lov spread his hands wide before her, where he rested in a sitting squat. Primara stood regally at the front of the room, waiting to hear from the young half-elf. “If you look at me, you see the dragon that is inside. I represent the rainbow, and everything else around the universe. You also perceive unlike others of my kind, I am a part of this universe.” He rose to stand before her, hands spread wide in supplication. “If you tell me no, I will accept your choice as just. But look inside, I know you can. See what I have seen and tell me if my way isn't better.”
Primara shook her head and snorted. Only because you are too beautiful a specimen of darkness for me to believe you are evil. She stepped forward, pressing her horn between Lov's eyes. Lov felt a jolt as she touched him with it. She filled his thoughts instantly. Lov realized in horror that he had given her the right to rifle through every thought he'd ever had. He relaxed when he saw she skipped past everything before his father's death.
Primara stood watching in the middle of the scenes. Lov couldn't help but enact them, yet everywhere he looked, he saw Primara staring at him. As time passed, Lov felt her eyes like the blind eyes of justice. He weighed every action he had taken, regretting nothing but the orc he had killed. Still, Lov wished he could have saved him.
His time with the orcs was scrutinized closely by Primara. Why? Lov asked.
I want to see what the dwarves have become. The scenes continued to pass, Lov having no way to control it. Primara set the pace. Sometimes scenes were repeated. She never asked a question, just silently judged on his past actions.
Finally, they reached the end, where he had solidified the Greatmothers behind him. Primara laughed at his impudence when Lov had strode from the arena. He had defeated their champion handily. I knew Nika, she would have probably thought you an upstart, too.
Primara stepped back from Lov, and the young half-elf felt in control of his body again. I see you have great need in your land. But what you ask is evil. I will never be able to return to my homeland...with my people. Are you sure this is the only way to save your world?
“Yes.” Lov said loudly and clearly. “I've considered every option, but any of them with Martell in control shows the city of Heart dying. We cannot let that happen. The history and lore that would be lost.” Lov spread his hands wide. “Wouldn't you do anything to save your world from harm?”
Warriors are killed in wars. Primara said, turning away from Lov and heading through a door into an open courtyard. All war is evil, even the ones that start with good intentions.
“I regret the only man I've ever had to kill. That orc could have been a useful ally to me. Even now, I could be using him to whip the other chieftains in their place. I learned my lesson about killing potential.” Lov shrugged his shoulders as they walked. “Besides, my enemy only controls the Titans, and they are nothing but constructs. No real way to kill them.”
Who would take control of them, then? Primara asked.
“From what I hear, it was meant to go to my mother. I believe she would be the perfect person to control them.” He stopped to look at some flowers that fought for life from between cracks in the red paved stone. He smelled the purple buds deeply before turning back to Primara. “She was groomed for it by Gendry.”
Something tells me to trust you. I shall l do this, and lose my innocence. She smiled sweetly at him. Perhaps when you tire of your world you'll come back.
“Thank you.” Lov replied. “What do we need to be ready?”
We'll do it by the lake in the blue lands. They will help to heal him when we bring him back. When we start, this isn't going to be pretty.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Lov watched as a crocodile crawled up onto land. He would never get used to these transformations, watching as the man absorbed his crocodile skin and became human. The first time Lov had seen one of these crocodilians, he had thought the man a Tuthan. Primara had laughed and told him they were something completely different. The man approached the unicorn, bowing deeply. “Everything is ready, Lady. We will add our prayers to yours from a safe distance. We wouldn't want our output to throw off your magic.”
Thank you, my friends. The unicorn replied, turning to swim to the middle of the lake.
They had left the red keep this morning. Already the lands were returning to their original form before the seals had conquered. The plants that thrived in the other colors were slowly overpowering the red plants. Here in the blue area, immense mangrove trees covered in thick, hairy, green moss were over powering the flowers that had once dominated. The light shone off the smooth bark with a blue sheen. The plants here were hearty and spread within a day, taking over the swamp-like area quickly. As they hiked through them, Lov saw that the flowers were swarmed by the trees, deprived of light, and used to feed the deep roots. The circle of life continues even in the plant world apparently, Lov thought.
A large lake was fed by multiple rivers
, and the water was clean and smooth. Lov could see the fish in it as he swam out to position Sanche's body. Primara swam waiting, careful to keep her head above water. Lov swam back to shore, leaving Sanche behind for the unicorn to work on. He went back onto the land because he wasn't sure what else he should do.
His dragonhunger wanted him to straddle Primara, study what she did, so that Lov could try it in the future. The young half-elf remembered what the unicorn had said about the practice being something evil, and decided he didn't want to know. He sat on the shore's edge, sinking into a deep relaxation, stretching out his entire being searching for a new soul to arrive in the lake before him. He felt his personal bubble of awareness expand to cover the lake.
Primara floated towards Sanche, resting her head against the sack that contained his body in the water. It floated there as she poured her own magic into it. Lov could see in his mind's eye what was happening. Sanche's skin slowly was growing back, covering the places where the bones were bare. Lov kept his eye on the center of the lake as Primara slowly morphed, changing from a unicorn into a human form. She placed her hands against the sack, using its natural buoyancy to float. Slowly, the crinkled sack filled out and Lov watched in amazement as it stretched to take Sanche's form.
Primara grabbed the head of the body in her hands, chanting softly in a language Lov didn't recognize. Slowly, a faint shimmery light filled the air, and a large ball of incandescence formed in the sky. A small, weak cyclone developed, reaching down towards the lake, but stopping short of touching it. The winds were enough to stir the forest floor and rattle the leaves, but not enough to do any damage.
Lov watched as the ball slowly lowered towards the bag in the middle of the lake, gradually passing through where Primara held her hands. The body spasmed, jerking his head from between Primara's hands and letting out a loud anguished scream of, “NO!” Lov recognized Sanche's voice.
Lov dove into the water, rushing to help Primara and Sanche. Both appeared to be unconscious, just floating in the water. Primara, her long thick white hair plastered wetly to her forehead, stirred and started to tread water. She waved Lov towards the body bag saying, I'll be okay, take care of your friend.
Lov ripped the bag open, looking on Sanche's face, happy to see his childhood mentor. He was shocked to see that some of the elder elf's skin was black in places, as if Sanche had been unevenly cooked. One ear was stark white, the other black as coal, and they were back to Sanche's regal length. As he carried the old elf back to shore, Lov wasn't sure if he had made the right choice, or the wrong one.
The next morning, Sanche woke early and stared into the fire he had built up. Lov went and sat across from him when he woke in the predawn light. “Are you okay?” Lov asked the old elf.
Sanche glared at him from across the fire. “Do you know what you've done to me?” Anger filled his voice, and a fire normally reserved for enemies filled Sanche's eyes. “You've taken me away from nirvana, you self righteous prick! Why? Why couldn't you just let me stay dead? With my family? My wife and my girls!” Sanche stood, pacing before the fire. Primara came awake as the old elf continued to stomp around the camp angrily. “Do you know what it's like to have everything perfect for the first time since I could remember, and you snatched it away from me! I'm telling you now, boy,” Sanche continued to stare at Lov contemptuously. “I'm looking for the first chance I have to die again. I won't kill myself, I refuse the coward's way out, but damn you if I don't try to die.” Sanche stood, taking off in a random direction.
Lov was about to chase after him, when Primara restrained him. She wore simple brown robes, and her hair was as white as it was wild. Let him go, at least he's headed in the right direction. He has a good sense of where to go.
Lov looked after his friend sadly, sorry he had done what needed to be done. “He always had good sense.” Lov picked up his things, and began the slow trek back to the Red Keep, following behind Sanche. He left the old man alone with his own thoughts, and hoped that Primara would give him the same courtesy.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Nord watched two different orc forces square off against each other. This was the first time the tall elf was pitting his female force against the larger male force. The women had approached Nord about forming their own society, one to replace the leaf society that had been split. Nord had fleetingly considered, before pushing them to the side, focusing on getting the men to work together as a solid wall of force. He ignored the women as they watched him try to drill the men into formation for weeks.
The tall elf had come across the women one morning as they were finishing a training session. He was impressed with their formations. They weren't perfect, but they were imposing. They were improvised from watching his failed attempts with the men. Already, they seemed to be using advanced tactics such as the shield wall. They had been practicing Nord's formations at night, when the arena was abandoned, and it showed.
After that day, Nord had shifted his tactics, pouring his energy into these women. For months he had taught them to think and strategize on their feet, and they picked it up quickly.
Later, he set up his first mock battle. Poit had complained it wasn't fair, male orcs were taught not to hit females. If they did they were punished. The males, with Poit as their leader, had refused to fight the females. Charlot, the female leader, had responded by jamming her walking staff in between his legs. “Quit being a pussy and fight us.” Was all she said as she stood over the small orc.
Now the battle had started, and the males attempted to swarm over and through the females' phalanx, but the women refused to let them. Each woman protected the woman to her right, all the way down the line, taking quick sharp jabs with their blunted practice spears in their left hands. They quickly drove a wedge in the men's formation, and the male army was overrun in one hard push.
Nord was just preparing to jump down to the arena floor and congratulate the women, when a small sack of sand landed with a loud thud at his feet. Nord looked up and around, wondering where it had come from, and spotted a dot on the horizon. Slowly, the black dot drew closer, becoming larger and larger.
Nord couldn't believe his eyes. Jaxon and Fiksu had been trying to perfect their glider for months now, but the skinny giant hadn't realized just how far along they were in the process. Jaxon shouted down, “Told you!” as he zipped past. The glider flew around in a lazy circle, and Nord saw it was heading right for him. He stood, waiting for Jaxon to pull up. The glider came closer and closer by the second. The child-sized man lifted the nose before it hit the ground, and the glider slid along the seats of the arena. It stopped ten feet from Nord, and his halfling friend jumped from the seat, waving his hands in the air. “It works! We figured out how to get some lift!”
The tall elf sighed, shaking his head at his friend. “At least you're not trying to exploit the orcs with your blue bulbs. Speaking of which, I need a couple for the Greatmother's Council Chamber. They're demanding them.”
“Yeah, sure, no problem.” Jaxon said, turning to the glider behind him. “I'll be back, I have to get Fiksu so we can get this back to the launch platform. I'll come get you when we're ready to launch again. I should be able to take you for a ride!” Jaxon pumped his fist in the air before taking off into the city.
Nord turned back to the woman standing off to the side. Charlot was short, only coming to Nord's waist, and skinny. Not the sort of person you would expect to be a warrior. Nord paid the woman respect by bowing to her. “I'm sorry about that. I have to say, Charlot, I am impressed with how quickly your small army picked the tactics up.” He rubbed his chin thinking for a moment. “What is it you were all hoping to accomplish?” He asked, pointing to the females helping their male counterparts from the battlefield.
“We wish to protect Lov. We see him bringing greatness and prosperity back to our people, and we wish to keep him safe.” Charlot made a slashing motion with her hand, cutting through the air. “We want to maim and wound anything that tries to att
ack him. He's given us the promise of prosperity beyond anything the Greatmothers have ever considered.” She pointed down at the sands, “We don't want to be a part of your army, we want to be a guarding force for the young chief when he returns. We only worked on your tactics to make you pay attention to us. I knew if we tore through those idiots, we would help you and put ourselves at the center of your attention. Now that we have your attention, we want you to know, we're not going away.”
“Are you kidding? I don't want you go to away!” The tall elf pointed to the males still limping from the field, “You wiped the floor with those guys! I need your help to get them to listen to me when I try to train them.”
“What do we get from this?” Charlot asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You help me turn that sloppy army into a true force, and I'll train your group to be an autonomous entity. Your only charge will be keeping Lov safe from himself.” Nord held out his hand, waiting for her to take it, and strike the deal.
Charlot looked to the tall elf's hand, then nodded to the women behind her. “I need to talk it over with the others, but for my vote, we have a deal.” She turned from him, loping off in the direction of the other women. She gestured and waved her hand in Nord's direction, speaking passionately. A collective “Whoop!” filled the air, and she turned back to Nord, waving her hands triumphantly. She shouted out, “We accept. We'll start training these dick-for-brains how to fight your way.”
Nord smiled, feeling that now things might start to come together. Maybe the men would actually listen after being so easily defeated by the women.
Nord hurried to catch up to Jaxon. The halfling had burst into his rooms, grabbing the tall elf's hand and dragging him outside saying, “Come with me! I just found out something awesome.”
Breath of the Titans: The False Titanbringer: Complete Trilogy Page 29
