The Ranger (Book 1)

by E. A. Whitehead

  They followed the alley away from the street where Muriel’s house stood. They finally found a street again, far from where they had left Muriel. Lauren peered around the corner before walking out onto the street as if nothing had happened.

  “We need to return to the abbey,” Lauren whispered as they walked. “No doubt the Magi know that we came from that inn and will be waiting for us.”

  Lauren guided them through the streets, following a direct course for the abbey. Vincent was on edge, every guard he saw was potentially someone who was trying to find them. He let out a sigh of relief when they finally made it back without meeting any resistance. His relief was short lived. A large group of Imperial soldiers was approaching the abbey. Vincent and Lauren quickly ducked inside the gate but stopped there to see what was going on.

  “Knights of the Most High Sandora,” the captain at the front of the group shouted. “Once again we come to you with the chance for glory. The Imperial Army is strong, and maintains order across this great Empire. We seek to add your strength to ours. Your valour is well known, which is why you will be given positions of honour. Adventure and riches await those who join our ranks.”

  Vincent could see the Knights at the gate shifting uneasily, seemingly torn. A few dropped their heads and walked slowly to the group of waiting soldiers. They were met by a deafening cheer. Some other Knights were slowly creeping their way toward the gate from other parts of the abbey grounds.

  Lauren shook her head in disgust as she watched the deserters go. She stormed off toward the main building of the abbey. Vincent followed her all the way back to their room. Their clothes had been collected from the inn and were neatly folded on their beds. Vincent started to say something, but Lauren sent him an icy glare so he stopped. They sat in silence for some time.

  They had re-armed themselves by the time Auna returned to the room. He looked just as sullen as they felt.

  “Fifteen,” Auna lamented. “Fifteen knights left the Order to join the Imperial Army yesterday, and we still don’t know how many went today. I’m sorry Vincent, but I’m afraid your friend Sir Thomas went with them.”

  Vincent was shocked. He had heard Thomas talking about it, but he had never thought that he would ever actually go through with it.

  “We have more trying problems,” Lauren said solemnly. “We have been betrayed. Muriel has been taken by the Magi.”

  “I know,” Auna replied. “She was murdered for failing to hand you two over.” Once again, Vincent was shocked.

  “So what do we do now?” Vincent asked.

  “We need to leave the city,” Auna said firmly. “We’re no longer safe here, and our presence endangers the abbey. Be ready to go in a few hours. I’ll go secure us some provisions.”

  Vincent started shoving his things back into his travel pack and sharpening his blades as soon as Auna left. Lauren, on the other hand, seemed ready to go and sat comfortably, reading the book again.

  Auna returned some time later with his arms full, carrying full water skins, dried meats and bread. They divided them between their packs and set out. It was late. Very few people were still wandering within the abbey and the gates were closed. As they approached the gates, a familiar voice called from behind them.

  “Why are you leaving so late at night?” It was the voice of Abbot Foster.

  “Our position here has been compromised,” Auna replied. “For everyone’s safety, we have to leave.”

  “But there are men waiting out there in the square, and we’re confident that they are agents of the Magi. It would be reckless for you to leave now. At least wait until morning. We could make you a proper disguise and sneak you out.”

  “No,” Auna said firmly, “We need to leave now, and we need them to see us leaving. As long as the Magi believe that we are here you are all in danger, for we travel with the Chosen.”

  The Abbot’s eyes grew wide as he slowly turned his gaze on Vincent. He seemed to be taking in his every detail.

  “Then, this is -” the Abbot began, but Auna cut him off.

  “Yes, it is. That is why we must leave now. You are all in great danger.”

  “I see.” The Abbot sounded flustered. “I shall have the gates opened immediately.”

  Abbot Foster hurried off to the gate house. Vincent stared at Auna in disbelief.

  “I thought you said that no one could know that I was still alive.”

  “The Abbots all know that you are still alive. That was not a new revelation to him. The revelation was that you were standing in front of him. Normally, I would not have said anything, but he needed to know the danger he was in,” Auna explained.

  The Abbot returned as the gate started to creak open.

  “There,” he said, sounding winded. “I wish you a safe journey.” He turned to Vincent. “Especially you, young one. So much depends on you. You know, the news of your death tormented Sir Thomas. I believe that it may have been the greatest factor in his decision to leave the Order.”

  “Lord Abbot,” Auna said sharply, “we need to make haste.”

  “Yes, of course,” the Abbot said mournfully. “May Sandora guide your path.”

  Chapter 16: Keeper of the Stone

  They left the city, making as big a show of their passing as possible. The moon was the only light they had as they navigated the streets. Not a soul moved, yet they could feel eyes watching them from the shadows.

  The city gates were closed, and a guard holding a torch stood blocking the way.

  “What business has you leaving the city so late at night,” the guard asked harshly. “It seems a little suspicious to me.”

  “We are Rangers,” Auna replied calmly. “We don’t report to you. Open the gate. We need to leave the city.”

  “Be you Rangers or no, the gate stays closed. Orders from the High Captain himself. No one comes in or goes out after nightfall,” the guard smirked. “You aren’t going anywhere tonight.”

  “Perhaps you didn’t understand, boy,” Auna said threateningly, “we are Rangers, and we go where and when we choose. We have no desire to hurt you, but if you stand in the way of us carrying out our mission, then you will force our hand.” Auna’s hands started to glow and the torch the guard was holding snuffed out. The guard quickly dropped to his knees.

  “Please, don’t hurt me,” he begged, tears streaming down his face. “I was just following orders. Look, I’ll open the gate for you,” he stammered as he stumbled to his feet and rushed to the gate where he unbolted the smaller door in it.

  “Very well,” Auna said, returning the fire to the guard’s torch. A look of sincere relief crossed the guard’s face.

  They left the city without another word. The gate slammed shut behind them and they could hear it being bolted once again.

  “You wouldn’t really have hurt him, would you?” Vincent asked as they started off again.

  “Of course not,” Auna laughed, “but he didn’t know that.”

  There wasn’t much of a road through the barren wasteland that surrounded Spacco. They headed north. The wind from the mountains stung their eyes as it picked up dust from the dry ground.

  A dried patch of bushes served as their campsite that night. It was the only form of shelter they could find.

  The morning sun brought a staggering heat. Their black clothing did little to help. The hot wind continued to sting at them, bringing no relief.

  They trudged on. There were no other travelers on the path they followed. There were no other cities or towns either, only the Draylor lay ahead.

  They set up camp at the base of the mountains the second night. The haunting cry of wolves floated across the wasteland. The temperature dropped as the sun set, making the night very cold once again.

  “We’ll be arriving at the cavern in the morning,” Auna said as he started a small fire. Lauren had managed to capture a few small animals that Vincent didn’t recognize and was roasting them over the fire. “It is a long climb into the mountains. You two are ver
y lucky; few people are privileged to see the splendor of the lands of the Draylor. The gates themselves are worth the journey. They stand a mile high, made of pure gold, and they are carved with a great dragon fighting a man. The Draylor haven’t closed those gates in over four hundred years, since the war with the Eresian Empire.”

  “There is just one problem,” Lauren added. “We still don’t know why the Draylor stopped coming to Spacco. I think the Magi have something to do with it, as they were trying so hard to mislead us using Muriel.”

  “Very true,” Auna said pensively. “There is very little that can threaten a Draylor. Even the Magi wouldn’t dare to mount an open assault on them. They would have to have an entire army. I wonder what it is.”

  The night passed uneventfully. The howls of the wolves continued through the night, and Vincent thought he could see their silhouettes against the firelight; but the rising sun revealed no trace of them.

  They broke camp early that morning and started climbing the mountains to the cavern. The path was steep, and there was little to hold onto. Vincent cut his hand more than once on the sharp rocks as he tried to steady himself.

  Around midday they arrived at the bottom of a great canyon. On either side, cliffs soared high above their heads.

  “This is the Walk of the Dragon,” Auna said, pointing at the canyon ahead of them, “It leads the way to the Draylor Cavern. We’re almost there now.”

  Vincent was relieved by this news. He had grown weary of traveling and wanted to return to the Ranger Encampment. Auna told them stories of the wonders of the Draylor as they walked.

  As they rounded the last bend in the canyon, the gates came into view. They were even more glorious than Auna had described. The gold shimmered in the sun, casting a wondrous aura over the entire canyon. Rare jewels studded the carvings, making them glitter even more. They were huge, they were beautiful, and they were closed.

  “This does not bode well,” Auna muttered as he approached the gates.

  A large shadow suddenly blocked the sun, accompanied by a booming roar as a large green dragon dropped from the sky. As it hit the ground it started to glow, and its body started to bend and contort until it had changed into the form of a tall, muscular man. He was heavily armoured, and his skin looked like aged leather. A strange gold bracelet hung on his left wrist. The Draylor scowled viciously at them.

  “Who dares approach the Golden Gates unbidden,” he shouted angrily. “Speak, and I may spare your lives.”

  “I am Jerome Auna, Pallàdrim, and High Master of the Templar Knights in the Order of the Goddess Sandora,” he seemed unfazed by the appearance of the Draylor. “I have come to collect the treasure of the Pallàdrim which is kept here.”

  “Master Auna,” the Draylor said, sounding shocked, “it has been many years since your kind has visited our realm. We were beginning to think you had forgotten the old pact.”

  “It seems that we were not the only ones to forget the old pact,” Auna said scornfully. “The Pallàdrim have always been welcome among the Draylor, or has that been forgotten also?”

  “No, of course not,” the Draylor said uncomfortably, “our friends are always welcome among us. However, the elder is not currently in the caverns. He has left on a journey with his son. We do not expect them back for a few weeks yet.”

  “Is that so?” Auna raised an eyebrow as he spoke. “Fortunately, I do not require an audience with the Elder. I only wish to collect the Fire Stone and be on my way.”

  The Draylor seemed even more uncomfortable as he looked at the closed gates and then back at Auna. He seemed to be trying to make up his mind about something.

  “Very well,” he said at length, “you may enter; but be advised, my people are on edge, and will not look kindly on an outsider, even if it is a Pallàdrim.” In a blinding flash of light, the Draylor transformed into a dragon once again and launched itself into the air. It soared upward, landing on top of the gates. Vincent could barely see him pushing on the giant pulleys that controlled the gate.

  Slowly, one of the gates inched open until they could slip through. As soon as they had crossed the threshold, the gate began to shut behind them.

  Vincent and Lauren were thoroughly unnerved by the unusual treatment they were receiving. Auna looked like he had a foul taste in his mouth that wouldn’t go away. Vincent opened his mouth to ask a question, but the Draylor dropped from the sky once again, transforming into a human as he landed.

  “I am afraid I can only permit you to enter the High Chamber. From there you will be escorted to the Great Seal. Once you have the Fire Stone, you’ll have to leave.” The Draylor, who had seemed nervous before, now looked frightened, although he was trying to hard not to show it.

  “But -” Auna started to say, but he was cut off.

  “That is final,” the Draylor shouted as it transformed in a flash of light and soared away once again.

  “This does not bode well,” Auna muttered again as they walked through the giant opening of the cavern. “Things have gone amiss since we left Senno and it all seems connected back to the Magi. It wouldn’t surprise me if this had something to do with them as well.”

  “So what do we do?” Vincent asked.

  “We collect the Fire Stone,” Auna replied. “That is the safest course of action right now. Jason had incredible foresight to have predicted this turn of events.”

  “But what is the Fire Stone?” Lauren asked curiously.

  “The Fire Stone is much like the Water stone that you carry,” Auna explained. “It is an ancient treasure, passed down by the Pallàdrim since the beginning. It is a unique gift from the Goddess, a key to the High Plain. Anciently, mankind was permitted to travel to the High Plain to commune with the gods. The elemental stones were the keys that unlocked the gates. Over the centuries man forgot his dependence upon the gods. The gates were destroyed, and the stones were lost. Only the fire and water stones remain, and only a handful of the gates still function.”

  “Then why would the Magi want a key to the High Plain?” Vincent asked. “They serve Katrina, the goddess of the Abyss. The High Plain holds nothing for them.”

  “Oh, doesn’t it?” Auna scorned. “Think about it: their deity was cast out of the High Plain for rebellion. The Gods swore that she would never set foot in the High Plain again. Katrina has hated them ever since. Do you not think that she would want to seek vengeance? Perhaps defy their decree and return from whence she was banished? No, Vincent, there is much in the High Plain that the Magi desire.”

  The passage they had been following suddenly opened up, revealing a chamber that could have held the entire city of Spacco with room to spare. Auna continued to talk, but Vincent was no longer paying attention, the splendor of the Draylor Cavern had consumed him.

  The walls of the cavern had all been carved and sculpted to form elegant houses. He could see the distant forms of the Draylor as they flew through the air in their dragon forms before transforming at the doors of their homes. All the Draylor seemed to be wearing the same bracelet as the guard. It was finely crafted, yet simple. Vincent wondered what it signified.

  The far end of the cavern had been carved to look like an immense palace. Auna led them into this. Vincent looked around. They stood in a large room. Great curtains adorned the walls, embroidered with scenes of the history of the Draylor.

  “The Draylor don’t seem to be in a very good mood,” Lauren commented as she peeked back out the door into the large chamber.

  “It is true,” came a voice from the other side of the room, “we are not.”

  The three of them turned. A tall, muscular man with long, fiery red hair stood at the other door. He had a very unpleasant look on his face, like he had just stepped in something he wished he hadn’t.

  “I am Nicholas, the smith,” the man said coldly, “and I am here to lead you to the Great Seal. You will follow me.”

  Nicholas left the room and headed into a passage that sloped steeply downward. Vincent and the
others had to run to keep up. Vincent barely came to the waist of their burly guide, who didn’t seem to care that each of his strides was at least two of theirs.

  The path they followed curved and twisted, branching off at places, but Nicholas never slowed. The side corridors were plain and deserted, so Vincent turned his attention to his guide. He was elegantly dressed, but was not wearing the bracelet like the others.

  He finally stopped in front of a large stone door, which he opened. Ushering them inside, he closed the door. The room was small, Nicholas barely fit inside. Another stone door covered most of the opposite wall; an elaborate carving graced its surface. It was possibly the most exquisite thing Vincent had ever seen. The token of fire was at its centre, with four smaller but identical symbols around it. Gold leaf work formed flowers that seemed to shift seamlessly into rolling flames that circled the token.

  “Here is the Great Seal,” Nicholas said anxiously. “Now if you would open it, I can take you back to the surface.” He seemed almost excited.

  “I am afraid I will have to ask you to leave while I open it,” Auna said without looking at Nicholas. “The opening of the seal may only be witnessed by those of the order.”

  Nicholas growled distastefully before slinking back out of the room.

  “I was not aware of such a rule,” Lauren said with a wry smile.

  “That’s because there isn’t one,” Auna replied. “I made it up. He seemed far too eager to see the opening of the seal.” Auna was removing the glove from his right hand. The fire tattoo that wound up his arm still amazed Vincent. “You should pay attention to this, Vincent. This will be important for you in the future,” Auna said calmly as he surveyed the door. “The seal is symbolic of the Pallàdrim,” Auna explained. “The vines represent skill, while the fire represents power. When you receive your blade from the Goddess you must choose one or the other. The blade will amplify that attribute in you. I carry the blade of skill,” Auna said as he drew his blade to show Vincent the vines that wove up its surface, “and Jason caries the blade of power. Together we have both, which is why we focus so much on team work.”