by Nikolas Rex
“My name is Jaeic, Rashath of Ironwald,” he said.
Puck felt a flare of anger swell up inside him. He wanted to punch the man in the face for all the hurt he and the others hunters had caused him and his friends and family. But he did not want to start a fight right there at the bar.
“I will be honest with you,” Jaeic continued, “I am tired of all the difficulty searching for your family has caused me, and my comrades agree. Krynn Remos has wasted too many resources on this silly chase of his. But I cannot return to my home without something to show for the effort expended. That is why I have come here to talk to you face to face, see if we can work something out.”
“You kidnapped my mother and my sister, and killed my closest friend’s mother, give me one good reason not to draw my sword, finish you off here and now.”
“I understand,” Jaeic said, “You have every right to be angry, but your anger is misplaced. The Albrocan mercenaries disobeyed our orders, no one was to be killed. They are no longer with us in any case. After they saw the carnage your friend is capable of they decided it was not worth the trouble and left. I was also against the idea my Captain proposed in the capture of your innocent family members.”
Puck completely disbelieved everything the man was saying, but continued to listen anyway. He wanted to be captured and it seemed his plan was going to work out, but he saw no reason to lay all his cards on the table.
He shrugged, “You had the ability to voice your disagreement or act on your thoughts but you let things happen anyway. I think perhaps I will return to my room and let my very capable two blade wielding friend know we might have bad company downstairs and see if he handles the problem as well as he did the others in the forest.”
Jaeic was trying to read the young man but found it a bit difficult to see through the boy’s cool façade.
Jaeic feinted at unease at the boy’s words. He really wished to avoid facing the Kilik Dualis and was happy he had cornered the boy alone at the bar. He raised his hands again, desiring to avoid a conflict.
“There is no need to involve him in this,” Jaeic said coolly, “I only want what is best for your family.”
“What do you mean?” Puck continued to play along.
“I mean, if you come with us now, no fighting, no bloodshed, I will personally convince Krynn Remos to call off the hunt for your father.”
“You want me to just give myself up?” Puck wanted to grin at how they were playing right into his plan, but he acted defensively and incredulously.
“You seem like a smart young man,” Jaeic continued, “I can guarantee the safety of your family if you come,” he paused, “If you fight, well, perhaps you could kill me and the others and delay the Krynn’s plans, but you could also wind up dead. There are no guarantees if you fight.”
Guaranteed I would skewer you with magicked metal less than halfway through a duel between us. Puck thought, but remained silent, as if considering the man’s option.
Jaeic gave a small shrug and a sort of frown that said you should consider my deal, why not?
Puck wanted to answer but pretended to struggle with the idea.
“Do the right thing, think of your family,” The man said.
Puck glared at him, reinforcing his bluff, then replied, “Fine.”
The man nodded, clearly pleased with the choice.
“Let me tell my friend goodbye.”
Jaeic shook his head, “That was not part of the deal. Who is to say you will not return with the Revenant in full force, or simply retreat from a window? Out the door, now, no struggle.”
Puck shrugged, “Fine.”
The Revenant? Puck thought, had the man meant Drake?
He had meant to leave a note for the young swordsman. He had been a fine companion and it seemed rude to leave him in his drunken stupor, asleep on the bed with no formal parting word.
But there was nothing he could do now, he was starting the first part of his plan and had to focus.
It would be several fortnights of travel to return to Terragur from Biarlin, and from what he could remember of Ironwald on a map it was far up north, another several fortnights on the road. It would be a long journey, but at the end, he was sure he would be face to face with the one responsible for the injury caused to him and his family and friends.
For Ranasa, he thought.
The image of Ranasa’s Mother’s inert body flashed across his mind.
And for your mother.
***
What Puck did not know, was that his friend was not out cold from drinking a bit of light ale at all.
The darkness of the room was thick and oppressing. The candles on the table had long burned down and had extinguished themselves.
Drake’s body was uncannily still but for the smallest of breaths.
He lay there like that, for a long time.
Then his eyes opened.
His pupils did not hold their glowing fierce green color as before. Instead they now bore a hellish red hue.
He smiled a dark and sinister smile and sat up.
Chapter Twenty Nine
The Way
Tremos sat up suddenly, fully awake and alert.
He had fallen asleep against the Summoning Stone again.
His wounds were not fully healed and he continued to order the Great Dome emptied of occupants so none would see him in his weakened state as he gathered energy from the Crystal.
That feeling once more.
Being so physically close to the Crystal and so in tune with the pulsing rhythm of magic everywhere he was able to feel the more intense bursts of magic far and wide. And feel it he had indeed. Three times now. The first being the greatest. So fierce and so strong it pierced straight through the eye of the Crystal and shone through as a bright beam of light. He did not know what caused it, but whoever had released the magic was either very powerful, or very foolish, or both.
The two that followed had not been as strong, but he recognized them, not at first, it took some time for him to realize what he had sensed, but after many tries he was able to remember.
The Oracle.
Long had he sought her, to destroy her, and long had she remained hidden.
He could only guess now why she had chosen to risk revealing herself.
He could only guess that it had something to do with the surge of great power.
But he was good at guessing, and he was always right in the end.
He stood up and paused, leaning against the Crystal. He was still not quite ready to go off and investigate things for himself. But he would send Omech, and a few other competent and loyal warriors to travel in his stead. Tremos had not anticipated the change that had occurred to Omech during the transfer, and he had almost obliterated the young sorcerer immediately after the transfer had been completed. But he had stopped himself when he felt the bond that had been created with Omech. Tremos had a sort of power, almost a control, over Omech now, and he could use that to his advantage. He probed the magic around him and even at that moment could sense Omech somewhere within the fortress. He pressed further and without hardly any effort he could locate the young sorcerer’s whereabouts. The young man was in his study in the east wing, pouring over a thick tome of ancient magic.
Tremos pulled away, returning back to himself, and yet he could still feel the bond between him and Omech, as if from a far away distance, but still present.
He returned his attention back to the feeling which he had discerned to be some portion of magic used by the Oracle.
Now is the time. He thought. She and that damned Keeper, despite their pitiful attempts to stop me, have forced my hand.
He quickly called forth his beast, mounted it, and rode it from the Dome back to his chambers.
Back in his chambers he accessed the magic to communicate with his grahk luminary Sklan.
“Master,” Sklan said in the mind bond.
“It is time.” He stated simply.
“As you command it, so s
hall it be done.”
Satisfied, Tremos severed the connection.
Yes, it was time. He thought silently.
And so it begins.
***
Laura awoke to the sound of rushing water.
She lay on the ground underneath the waterfall, alone. Marc was nowhere to be found. She sat up and looked around. The entrance to the Fae Ones’ dwelling was no longer there.
Was it all just a dream?
But then she saw was the bracelets and necklace on the earth next to her and realized that she too wore the trinkets the Fae Ones had given her.
A message was scrawled in the dirty nearby.
Kolima.
It read.
Kolima? Itherin’s capitol. Marc had written it, she was sure.
What did he mean by it?
She tried to think but her stomach growled with hunger pangs and she felt her throat was very dry. She needed to eat and drink something soon. She stood up quickly, too quickly. Blood rushed to her head and she fell to one knee, grabbing her head. After the wooziness passed she stood, more slowly.
She needed to relieve herself, and soon. After finding a suitable spot she did so and turned her attention to her other bodily needs.
She made her way down the path she had brought Marc up. The sun was low in the clear sky, swathing her surroundings in deep oranges. It would be dark soon. The failing light made her descent down the cliff slow as she moved cautiously. Finally she made it to the dwelling she had constructed in the time she had come down from the cliff and had met the first few Fae Ones. They had given her fruits and nuts and had helped gather large fern leaves for her bed.
She went quickly to the food and sat down and ate.
She drank water from a strange leaf water holder the Fae Ones had helped make her.
Her thoughts raced on with deeper topics as she did the simple tasks of sitting and nourishing her body. She thought of Marc and of the vision she had shared with him and the Fae Ones. It had been so powerful and overwhelming but also joyous beyond description. She could still feel the soft but firm touch of Marc’s hand in hers. She had drawn energy from him, and somehow knew that without him with her during the vision she would have been consumed. Even with him by her side her body and forces had been drained considerably.
It was as she ate and thought, with the sun creeping lower on the horizon and the sky darkening, that she was able to make out a light slowly approaching her from within the nearby woods in the valley below by the river.
More Fae Ones? She thought. But she knew, even as she thought it, that it was not so. This light approaching her now was more brilliant, and low to the ground. At first she felt frightened. In her current state she could not defend herself if the owner of the light proved hostile.
She ultimately did not move, her feet were too tired to run.
The light grew brighter, and as it drew nearer she felt a sense of calm come over her.
Her fear slowly began to fade.
And then, materializing from the forest was a creature of the likes she had never before seen. Its presence and aura was one that drew great reverence from her very soul. It was without a doubt one of the Exalted spoken of in the legends of her beliefs. It was a large benevolent creature, standing on four powerful legs with hoofed feet. Soft beige colored fur covered most of its body with a massive mane of flowing auburn locks covering its long neck and lower leg joints. Two large curved horns and two impossibly enormous, intricate antlers came out of its head behind two large ears. It had a long muzzle ending in a shiny black nose. Two black and green glowing eyes stared down at her from its man-sized head. A glowing luminescent power of green and white pulsed all around its being.
She dropped the food from her hand and slowly fell to her knees. She was humbled, even more so than with the Fae Ones.
A nervousness began to rise in her. So many intense and awe-inspiring things were happening to her all at once. The death of Doyenne Carlata, her awakening of her abilities on levels she had never before experienced, the appearance of Marc, the vision with the Fae Ones, and now this. The realization of all that had occurred to her in such a short period of time began to catch up with her and she began to panic and shut down.
She was not worthy of a visit from this being of such pureness.
She began to cry, the tears tumbling down her dirty cheeks.
The creature let out a low sound in its throat and its glowing power surged slightly. A small shockwave slowly traveled forth from the creature like a wave on the shore. It washed over Laura. Immediately the negative feelings faded and she felt empowered. Her hunger, which had barely even been sated by the fruit, disappeared entirely and her thirst was fully quenched.
The creature lowered its head, looking more closely at her. Then it turned its face away in a motion that said, Look over here.
Laura looked up to where it had directed her, to the ruins of Zheund.
She nodded but remained silent, not sure what it desired of her.
It turned and began to walk towards the ruins. Then it stopped and looked behind, bobbing its head once in the direction it was headed, seeming to say, come, follow me.
Laura stood up, a feeling of calm inside her compelling her to follow.
The sky was soon dark. Night had fallen upon the world.
But the creature that walked before Laura lit up their surroundings with its brightly glowing aura. It was such a large thing and yet traveled so nimbly up the cliff side. The falls where Laura and Marc went under to see the Fae Ones was only a small semi-separated portion of the true falls that fell under the ruins of Zheund. The path that the creature chose to climb led up the long mountain range where the river spilled over down into the valley below, beneath and between the two mountain pillars that held up the ruins of Zheund. Laura followed as quickly as she could, but she was soon tired. Every time that she needed to stop the creature would let its power forth in that sort of motion like a wave going forth from the creature’s center. Every time the power washed over her she was strengthened and moved onward.
It was light again by the time they reached the top of the falls.
The sound of rushing water was almost deafening.
And yet it was beautiful and soothing.
She stopped, tired again, and breathless, and sat down next to the creature.
Just then the sun rose over the valley, casting bright orange and golden light over their surroundings. They stood at the tip of the falls, two different silhouettes touching as one, their shadows cast before them as the sun hit their backs.
Laura looked down on the valley below and was absolutely breathless at the wondrous sight before her and the company of the magnificent creature at her side. Although the climb had been a difficult one the subsequent view was more than worth it. She was glad to have followed it. The golden light hit the many bridges and arches of the ruins of Zheund. The buildings and structures sparkled stunningly.
It bent down, leaning near her face.
She gave a smile, comforted by its presence. It was such an angelic being, light shining from it, its fur lustrous, its eyes twinkling. It had a look on its face that invited her to touch it.
She reached out a hand and gently caressed the creature’s head, right on its cheek.
A light flashed in her mind’s eye and the world around her was replaced with a glowing white aura. Then images rose from the whiteness, as if she was floating from a slightly higher perspective than her own. She quickly realized that she was viewing things through the creature’s eyes. The creature was looking at the Zheund Ruins. Suddenly the vision was moving and she leapt forward, towards the ruins. Then she was on the largest bridge in the middle of the two pillar-mountains. The bridge led to the large castle-like structure in the center of Zheund.
Laura felt herself look down and she saw the creature’s foot stretch forth and plant itself deliberately on the floor before it. A glowing streak of white remained from the creatures touch, pointing the w
ay forward. The vision moved across the bridge and through two large doors, every now and then the creature marked the path. It moved quickly, just enough for her to catch some general feelings of her surroundings in the vision, but not enough to study intricate details. Inside Zheund was a massive city to rival that of any capital in Lyrridia. Curved walls came up but did not close entirely, leaving a large opening for a ceiling that was covered with an intricately detailed webwork of covering. In-between the lattice of dark material there seemed to be empty space. It was architecture from the Illuminated Era, a mixture of magic and brilliance. It was just as awe-inspiring on the inside as it was viewed from on the mountain above. Trees and plant life grew all throughout the interior of the structure unlike the trees and undergrowth found in the valley below. From afar Zheund appeared to be made of a shiny stone material, but this close to the ruins it seemed made of a material unlike anything Laura had seen.
The vision navigated many paths and stairs leading to more archways and bridges, always leaving a trail with the white markings. In the center of Zheund was another large castle. Brilliant golden sunlight cast into the city.
Laura was expecting for the vision to slowly make its way to the center, walking through the many passageways and bridges leading up that way, but after a short time the vision jumped forward. She stood before the two large doors of the center of Zheund. The doors opened into a vast chamber built like a throne room. At the center of the throne room was a large chair that sat before a large pedestal. The vision moved again and she stood before the pedestal. Upon its surface was a crystal about the size of her fist, a dark shiny black. A glowing protective aura surrounded the crystal.
The vision moved and she was at the doors again, facing outward to stare down at the city. Then time began to shift, slowly at first, and then more quickly. It was at the moment that the sun hit the high point in the sky that Laura realized that what she thought at first to be empty ceiling was in fact massive panes of glass. She was once again breathless at such masterwork craftsmanship. The ceiling sparkled as the sun moved to the west and finally disappeared over the horizon. Bit by bit the city was swallowed in shadows. Time returned to normal as blackness enveloped the city.
