Quietly, Rees hoped they would make the camps of the warriors soon. He didn't like this one little bit, yet he had no idea how far they still had to go. Another nights camp saw them out in an open valley, too far from the surrounding hills to find a safe and secluded camp. The valley floor it would have to be. In the small hours of the morning Elsa was jolted awake by a crash of thunder, as lightening flashed, and rain poured down as though a bucket was being emptied. Within seconds everyone and everything was drenched. The horses stamped and rolled their eyes at the flashing lightening and peels of thunder. Rees, Elsa and Desare hurriedly collected their gear onto a large flat rook near the horses, then moved from one horse to another calming them as best they could.
There wasn't even any low trees to stretch a blanket from so they could shelter from the rain. Rees changed his mind about trees anyway as he watched lightening blast a tree on a far hill top into flaming fragments.
Rees whirled about as a terrified scream rent the air. A flash of lightening revealed Desare held aloft by a Tharsian. Its huge left hand around her throat, she dangled in his grasp, her feet well clear of the ground. In that brief flash Rees had seen the terror on the girls face, and seen the huge blade in the Tharsians right hand. In the darkness Rees inched forward. He didn't want to risk hitting Desare by mistake. There was a guttural roar right in front of him. Desare screamed again, a high keening wail that made the hair on the back of Rees neck stand up. Another flash of lightening showed Elsa only paces away loosing arrows into the Tharsian. They were very hard to kill, but Rees now had the measure of it. He gauged the distance and time, waited for a flash of lightening, and before the thunder clap reached them yelled "Elsa, Hold!" At the same time swinging his sword in a sweeping arc that gave it a huge amount of force as the momentum whistled the broad heavy blade through the air. Rees knew in that split second that if the Tharsian had moved, the swords momentum would almost tear his arms out. With a crash the swing abruptly stopped. The Tharsian bellowed in pain and rage, and Rees heard it crash to the ground. Desare staggered free of its grasp and scrambled to Elsa's side. Rees had swung low, he did not want to hit Desare by mistake. As a result, he had cut the Tharsian off at the knees. The beast roared and thrashed on the ground, unable to stand, yet determined to do what damage it could. Elsa stepped in close and finished it off with her spear, and began retrieving her arrows. Rees was by now prowling the perimeter of the camp. If there was one Tharsian, where were the others. They never travelled alone. The roars and bellows of the one they had just killed would surely bring the others down on them. The storm still raged overhead, the rain pelting down unceasingly. The wind still whistled across the wastes driving the rain drops almost horizontal. There didn't seem to be any other Tharsians about. Perhaps this had been a lone scout out from a camp somewhere nearby. Rees put his arm around Desare's shoulder. She was crying and shaking, and rubbing her neck where the Tharsian had had her in its grasp.
"Rees, I think it best we ride on through this night." Said Elsa.
"Yes," replied Rees. "If there is a Tharsian camp nearby, they will doubtless come looking for this one."
The horses were made ready and within minutes all were mounted and back on the road. They continued eastwards in the dark. The rain still streamed down, and the storm showed no sign of easing as the trio plodded along at a steady walk three abreast, with Desare in the middle. Was it only coincidence that the Tharsian had reached for Desare? They couldn't know that Desare held as much importance as she did. They no longer served the Dark One, had not done so for a thousand years. Rees pondered the meaning of the attack.
Far behind them they heard roaring and howling erupt in the night. They had been wise to leave when they did. The main band of Tharsians had discovered their fallen scout. "Well," though Rees. "They'll never track us in this". He urged the small party into a canter. Even if the Tharsians came out onto the road, they could only guess at the direction the party had taken, or divide their group for a search in both directions. Either way, both Rees and Elsa agreed that if that was the only band of Tharsians in the area, they were out of reach for while at least.
The road started to rise sharply. They must be approaching the hills at the edge of the wide valley. The rain storm started to ease as they climbed. It was moving out across the plain, so they were actually parting company in the opposite direction.
The party reached the summit of the small range of hills at the same moment that the new dawn started to show in the east. Stretched out before them were endless rolling hills, like waves on an ocean. In the dimness of the early morning light they could not make out detail, but it looked like they had reached the borderlands. Somewhere out there were the Mare Altan and the Asha Altan septs that were to meet them.
Desare was nodding her head with tiredness. The marks on her throat showed as angry bruises in the pale morning light. Rees was concerned for her and couldn't help showing it. She was after all only a village girl, and not really old enough yet to have left her mother's side to go adventuring. It didn't enter Rees' head that he only had a couple of years on her. He was used to hardship and long hours in the saddle in any case. He was rapidly getting used to a warriors life as well.
Rees climbed down from his horse, and there in the middle of the road started to ready a camp. Everything came off the horses except their bridles. The road in fact was almost grassed over it was so long since it had seen traffic, and once a small smokeless fire was burning Desare was led stumbling to her ground sheet. Elsa smoothed some herb scented oil she carried into the bruises on Desare's throat, and by the time she was finished the girl was asleep.
"Rees," said Elsa gently. "This is not right. This young girl should not be on the road in this kind of danger. I fear the Dark Lord knows her importance. Yet if we are to get her to Antonin's side, the only way seems to be directly through the Forest of Gloom. I'm afraid that if she meets another Tharsian she may not be so fortunate."
Rees pondered her words for a moment.
"It was only a lucky stroke that allowed me to bring down the Tharsian. Yet, did you notice that it held Desare. It did not kill her outright. Even though it held a knife in its right hand. It could have easily broken her neck with its huge hands anyway. Also, the Tharsians are not the minions of the Dark Lord any more - have not been for a thousand years. You remember in the village, the Dahar also made directly for Desare. She is wanted by all, and I don't think anyone wants her dead. I am very worried Elsa. I will unpack the chest of Treasures, and see if we can find an answer there as to what we should do. How we should proceed."
Rees climbed to his feet and walked over to where he had placed the chest that contained the ancient treasures. He squatted on his heels and opened the lid. The large leather bound book rested in its place. Rees slowly turned the pages of the elaborately illustrated and lettered book. The script was ancient, and unreadable. A maze of lines and curves like a collection of sticks set down. The lines of text were written in columns, top to bottom. Suddenly it came to Rees that he was reading the pages backward. The lines of text, each an individual sentence it seemed, ran top to bottom, but also from the right to the left. He could see where a line finished, or a page finished. He lifted the book clear, and opened it again from the "back". He still could not read the script, but the layout began to make sense. and he could now see where text referred to illustrations. Suddenly, there in the page, gazing out at him was Desare. The illustration was of a Queen in her robes of state. A crown on her head, and an army behind her mounted on dragons. It was unmistakable. It was Desare.
"Elsa, look at this." He said. Elsa's eyebrows nearly climbed onto her forehead when she saw the page. "If only we were able to read it." She said aloud.
"Rees, mark the page, we will show it to Desare when she awakes."
Rees placed a blade of grass in the page and continued turning over pages. The image of Desare appeared many times. Always with the dragon army behind her. The book revealed little else. Most of the i
llustrations were of people and places that neither Rees nor Elsa recognised. One was of a huge castle, with a massive circular tower in its heart. The tower was a deep blue in colour, and showed a woman standing in a window high up in the tower. Was it The Blue Tower they had heard about. It seemed likely.
Rees placed the book on his blanket roll. There were the other objects. The cloudy sphere of The Moon Gate, its surface seeming to hold all the colours of the rainbow. As he picked it up, a low murmur escaped the lips of the still sleeping Desare, and the colours in the crystal sphere took on a deeper colour and swirled in an agitated state. Quickly Rees placed the orb beside the book. Its colours went back to their calm state. Rees's fingers tingled from the power of the thing. Next was the Sun Disk. This was linked to Antonin according to Mei'An. It was cold and hard and had a greenish colouration., as though ancient bronze, yet it was no metal that Rees had ever seen. Made in an age past, it could be anything.
It seemed inert. Lifeless. Its surface markings as unreadable as the pages of the book. Rees handed it to Elsa. She held its weight gingerly. As though it were alive and dangerous. She turned it over a few times, then placed it next to the crystal orb of The Moon Gate.. As she placed it down, its edge fell against the sphere. The result was instantaneous and spectacular. A loud crack, as though a whip had been cracked was followed immediately by a beam of light that shot up from the centre of the disk into the grey morning sky. The beam was only as thick as a man's thumb, yet it disappeared into the heavens as far as eyesight could follow it. The disk itself was glowing green. The crystal sphere of The Moon Gate was humming like a bee hive. Rees and Elsa both, were flat on their backs in surprise and haste to back away from the objects. In trying to move backwards from that position, Elsa's foot moved the disk away from contact with the sphere. The beam of light was instantly cut off. The humming stopped and Elsa was sure she could hear her heart pounding. She looked at Rees and blinked in silent embarrassment. He in turn was brushing grass off his coat, trying to feign nonchalance.
"That was interesting." Was Elsa's dry comment. She moved a little further away from the objects. Desare hadn't stirred. Rees scratched his growing beard, and reached into the chest. He carefully cradled the statue in both hands and lifted it out. He would not drop it in surprise this time, he told himself. With Elsa watching beside him, he inspected the statue closely. It was made of a fine ivory like substance. Rees didn't think it was ivory, it was warm and smooth, just like the skin of a real person. He gave a start, but held on. Elsa was watching, and he was not about to be the fool in front of her again. He looked closely. The figure was very thinly dressed. Indeed, if in real life, this person was dressed in very little. Why, every detail was carved into this statue, even the tiny smile lines at the corner of her eyes. Rees's heart thumped in his chest and he was breathing hard, but he was not going to put this down until he had discovered its secrets. Elsa too seemed spellbound. Whoever this person had been in life, she had been beautiful.
"Rees, do you know who this is?" Said Elsa in a whisper.
"Mei'An tells me she is, or was the Keeper of the Blue tower. She is ... an immortal. How that can be I don't know. Ask Mei'An." Rees shook his head. The lady, the statue was smiling at him. He could see her breasts rise and fall as she breathed. He could see every inch of her beautiful body. He tried to tear his eyes away, but could not. The base of the statue rested on the left knee of his crossed legs as he steadied it in his hands. One hand enclosing the base and the statues feet, the other holding around its hips. He gave a squeak in his throat as he realized where his hand was and quickly moved to grasp her around the waist. He could not think of it entirely as a statue, even though he knew it surely was. He knew it was only a carved object, but he could feel the life in it. Elsa smiled at him, but he could see the uncertainties in that smile.
"Rees, I can see her breathing," whispered Elsa. "Is she alive? Or is this a magic we don't know? Mei'An said that you were linked somehow to this object. To the Blue Tower. To Antonin."
At the mention of Antonin's name, the eyes of the statue shifted to look directly at Elsa. It was her turn to squeak like a mouse. The smile was gone from its face, replaced by concern. If the statue had been hot iron from the forge, Rees would not have found it harder to hold. He gasped as a voice in his head spoke to him. The accent was thick, almost unintelligible, but it was female and he had no doubt the voice of the Keeper.
"Retain your hold on my waist, but put me down next to the Gate of the Moon, and the Disk of the Sun. Quickly now my friend." Rees looked at Elsa, and it was obvious she had heard the voice too. She nodded to Rees.
Carefully she separated the two objects, and Rees placed the statue between the two. He kept his right hand around the statues waist.
It started to take on a hazy look. Small tendrils of light reached out to the disk and the orb. Rees thought they were light anyway. He wasn't sure. The statue rapidly increased in size until he had to stand, now his hand only rested on its - her waist. He couldn't look away, yet his face burned at what - who stood before him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and clad only in gossamer mist. Still he clung to her waist. His huge hand fitting the curves of her side just above her hips.
She was a little shorter than Rees, and she looked up into his eyes and smiled.
"Thank you my Lord Rees, of the Star Field Plain. So long have I languished in the Tower, that I had forgotten the feel of a man's hand on my waist."
Her eyes opened very wide as Rees made to remove his hand. She clasped her hand over his and held him there.
"You must not break the bond Rees. Not yet." The Keeper smiled at Rees' discomfit.
"Do not be concerned Lord Rees. I am here only because of your strength. If you take your hand away, I will be returned to the Blue Tower and you will have only a statue in your hands again. You and I can link through this object. As in an age past, so again are you come to me. My Commander of the Hosts of the Dragon Lord. The Right Hand of the King, the Master of the Tower. So are you titled." She paused. "My Lord, why have you summoned me hence?"
Rees had regained some composure by now, and Elsa was gazing wide eyed at the Keeper. She was the most beautiful woman Elsa had ever seen. Her accent was difficult to follow, but it only served to enhance her charm. For the first time in her life, Elsa felt unsure of herself. The Keeper reached out a slim arm to Elsa.
"Come child. Closer to me. I can feel the power of a Wind Reader in you, yet faint. I would touch your skin to pass on what I can. Be sure of yourself, be sure of your own beauty and skill. There are very few like you."
Elsa moved closer to the young woman. Indeterminate age, old - yet young. She felt a touch on her temple and a thousand lights sparkled in her eyes. Elsa felt a momentary dizziness and reached to Rees to steady herself. The lights cleared, her vision cleared, and she felt as though a fog had cleared from her mind. Elsa stepped back in wonder, her eyes blinking in surprise. Rees looked at her questioningly.
"Later Rees. I will tell you later. You must listen to Ellenaria for she is The Keeper of the Blue Tower. Ellenaria is her name. Danger is at hand."
Rees was instantly on guard, yet he dared not take his hand from the waist of The Keeper - Ellenaria.
Elsa was scanning the low scrub and trees about them, looking up and down the road. Nothing stirred. Even the crickets were silent.
"Rees," said Ellenaria. "You are all in danger here, most of all Desare." The Dark Lord would take her alive. The nearby band of Tharsians are his. Mordos has lost control of them to the Lord of Chaos. I will shift you all to the camp of the Warriors of the Plains. From there I will shift you all to surround and accompany the Lord of the Dragon Armies. Quickly, gather up your treasures, wake our sleeping child. Bring everything within a tight circle around us. Even the horses."
Elsa moved rapidly, leaving the treasures strictly alone. Somehow The Keeper was still linked to them. Desare was woken, and her surprise at seeing the Keeper standing there in Rees' gra
sp was great. Elsa gave her no time. Within minutes all was pulled in as close as possible around Rees and Ellenaria, Elsa and Desare.
"They come." Whispered Ellenaria. Rees looked around to see a band of Tharsians leaping out of the thickets at the edge of the road.
Everything seemed in a fog though. There was no sound. A sudden cry from Desare echoed as though in a vast cavern. There was darkness for a moment, then the light returned, and the fog cleared. Rees still held Ellenaria. Desare was hanging limp in his left arm.
Cloud swirled about them. Huge drifts rolling like waves across a vast flat valley. The Keeper looked at Desare. A cry escaped from her lips. Desare hung limp, a broad head bolt from a Tharsian crossbow had gone right though her shoulder. Blood stained the front of her dress, and dripped in a steady stream from the exit wound in her back. The arrow quivered as shudders began to wrack the body of the girl.
No sooner had Ellenaria seen Desare than the darkness descended again. A flurry of features, and the whole party, horses and all stood within the gardens of the Blue Tower.
"Quickly Elsa," cried Ellenaria. "Cut away the shaft of the arrow so it can be drawn though. I can heal the wound then. I cannot touch anything wrought by the hand of a Dark One. Rees, let go now. Here in the Tower, I am free to move."
Rees looked from her to the statue, now it's normal small size, resting with the other treasures.
Quickly Elsa removed the arrow. Her long training and many encounters with Tharsians had prepared her for this. Desare moaned pitifully as the arrow shaft was drawn out. Ellenaria as quickly poured a measure of water from the tinkling fountain in the garden over the wound. Within minutes, all trace of the torn flesh was gone.
The Dragons of Sara Sara Page 43
