“ Move aside.” Calvin said pushing the stunned Fintan to one side by a gentle nudge the shoulder. “Move will you boy let me have a look at him.” Calvin said feeling frustrated. The anger the demon had been pouring through him seemed to have subsided for now but seeing his companion for the last eleven days lying unconscious wasn’t productive of a good mood and it would not take Rinwid’s interference for Calvin to boil over.
“Is he alive?” Fintan said in the same frozen tone. It was all getting too much for him. He couldn’t take it anymore. Darcy’s death would be the twig that broke the bluebirds nest. He could not accept the death. Millions of people had died in his adventures. Fintan remembered one time he had been playing and pretended the lich king had arisen from the south and everyone had died. But this was so different. When he grew bored of that game it ended but in this is place death was still around him. It didn’t all fade away back to beautiful forest and mischievous squirrels. No, this was real and not make-believe, death here felt different to how he had imagined it. Fintan had lost people before, Elves lived for a lot longer than humans but they did die. He’d often found dead animals in the forest while out exploring but for some reason this was different. It was not nature. It was not of old age or sickness. Darcy had been in the prime of his life and set for something great and he had just been snuffed out like a candle in a strong breeze.
“I don’t think so.” Calvin said as he tilted Darcy’s head back and leaning in to listen for any breath too faint to see. “Be quiet. Let me try something.” Calvin said calmly. He looked over Darcy and how he had fallen. The crick in Darcy’s neck was defiantly not normal. It looked like it was broken and the blood had already begun the pool under his skin. It would take a fair bit of power to bring Darcy back now and Calvin wasn’t sure just how much more juice he had to give. He hovered over Darcy’s body deep in thought. ‘Rinwid if you can hear me I need you to help me save this young man.’ Calvin thought to himself. The words floated through the empty space that was his thoughts. “Rinwid,” Calvin said aloud hoping it would have more effect but it seemed like the demon had little interest in Calvin for now. Annoyed as he was Calvin saw the look of confusion on the Elves face, it reminded him of Darcy when he had first been brought into the tower and the muddled conversation they had explaining about the blight to start with. That seemed so long ago. The strange life of the Scorched Lands had become the norm, but he could tell by Fintan’s face that he would need to explain it all to Fintan later. Now was not the time though as Calvin began the spell. Calvin could feel the white light growing inside of him. Like someone had lit a candle in the middle of his chest. It started off small like a tiny glowing marble but grew and grew. The gasp that came from Fintan’s direction must have meant it was working. The glow continued growing protruding from him as Calvin concentrated on Darcy. His hands shook much like they had when the electric had flowed through him when fighting the Dragons but the energy felt different. It almost felt calm and dreamlike. The vision blinded Calvin as his mind hunted for Darcy, He could feel the body was empty the spirit had left. It was in the stream, the flow that washed around the world bringing life to everything. Darcy had joined it. Calvin could feel his magic feigning. It would not be long before the spell failed. He hunted in the light. There. In the distance he could feel him. Darcy was with someone. A man, they felt the same, yet different. The words father flooded through Calvin’s mind as the magic snapped back like a spark from a flint and was gone.
“It’s no good.” Calvin said sinking to his knees. It would have taken more power than he had to bring Darcy back. He was gone. Darcy had passed into the spirit realm. The door between that world and this had been closed before Calvin could even call out to Darcy. Calvin would never know it himself but the man he had seen Darcy with would guide him well into the heavens. Darcy had finally come to terms with his father in that place and now they could be together uninterrupted by war or duty until the life-stream saw fit to send them forth from the spirit realm to bring new life to the planet.
“ Is he dead?” Fintan asked knowing the answer but needing to hear it. Calvin just nodded. After a few moments silence it was Fintan who spoke again. “At least it was fast. That’s all we can ask for sometimes. We should bury him and move on.” It sounded heartless but it was the only sensible thing to do. Their rations were all but gone and Fintan did not know how long the mages newly found strength would last before he ended up collapsing again. They would have to mourn Darcy another time.
“You’re right.” Calvin said still hovering just about the resting body of the dead noble. “ How did you come to be travelling with us Elf?” Calvin asked turning to face his new companion. He felt anger for the young nobles’ death and if the Elf had anything to do with the Dragon finding them he would pay with his life.
“ A long story, as I guess is yours.” Fintan said calmness coming back to his mind. “Once Darcy is laid to rest we can both tell our story.” He said picking up a broken plank of wood from the shattered stretcher that had rolled down close to Darcy, and with it Fintan begun to dig.
Chapter seventeen – reluctant steward William found this visit to the throne room even more uncomfortable than his first only a few days before. He had come then to see Harvey for the first time and had known what to expect. Civilized royalty is one thing to face, but barbarian leaders had a tendency to kill first and forgive later. William was a confident and cocky man for the most part but he did not feel on the top of his game. This was largely due to the broken nose and bruises that riddled his body like mould on Blue Vinnie but that was not the only reason. No he felt so un-at-ease now because the massive bull like man Ingaild, whom had taken the place of Harvey standing in front of the miniature map of Neeska on the worn table top.
“ Strange thing to have, toy soldiers’ and painted maps. It is no wonder Neeskmouth fell so easy. Real men do not waste time on toys. They train hard. They practice. They bow down to their betters. That is where I come to you.” Ingaild said turning to face William for the first time since they had left celebration square together. The guards that had escorted him had left now but William felt no freer without them holding the chains. Try as hard as he might William was in too much pain to think of a witty retort. His nose was bunged up with his own drying blood and he could feel it swelling to what felt like the size of a watermelon. Instead he remained silent. He was alone with Ingaild now. This would probably be his last and best chance to escape with his life. The guards were no doubt not far away and judging by the scars on Ingaild, he was not afraid of a fight. It wouldn’t be easy but William liked a challenge. Ingaild had given him a chance to earn his freedom as he had put it but William was almost sure it wouldn’t be an offer he would want to accept. So instead his eyes slowly took in the room in a new light. This time he was not judging the decadence as before, no he was instead looking for anything that would help him break free of the chains that bound him and a way to overpower the bear like Ingaild. That would be stage one, escaping a tower full of Poles and fleeing a city under occupancy could be stage two.
“ Not so brave or chatty without your crowd it seems. No matter. It is in front of them I intend for you to be of use.” Ingaild said running his hand through his beard obviously thinking of something. “ You see. I could kill Harvey Handson and prove my strength but I am not a stupid man. It would give the Neeskmouthains an idol, a fallen king in which to use to raise a rebellion. You rats would flock to it like moldy cheese.” Ingaild said and it surprised William. He had not expected the Pole leader to be so far sighted. The stories of the Iron Giants as they had once been known were not ones of clever plans but of brute force. The fact Ingaild possessed both made him all the more frightening.
“I’d rather be a rat than a warthog you overgrown mud swilling son of a bitch.” William said finding his confidence returning. If he was going to die anyway he’d go out fighting. This wasn’t how he pictured his last day on Valadfar. For a start he was sober and there was n
ot even one scantily clad woman to be seen, but he would make the best of a bad situation.
“ Do not mistake my sparing your life or your possible usefulness to me as allowing you freedom worm. One more line like that as I will slit you from ass to ear and hang you from my pole out the window.” Ingaild said pulling his trusty weapon from the table top and thrusting it so it barely missed William’s cheek. “ My offer is a simple one so even your little brain in that tiny head will understand it. If I kill Harvey I make a martyr out of him but if you another Neeskmouthain kills him. Well, he is just another victim of the war and it shows how easily you can be turned.” Ingaild said still holding his spear against Williams face. It went someway to showing Ingaild’s tremendous strength that his arm didn’t shake at all even holding the weapon at such an out stretched position.
“ What if I refuse?” William said pretty certain of the answer. A week before he would have relished the idea of killing Harvey. It would have been the justice he deserved for killing Williams’ father but not like this. The man had been disgraced. He had already lost everything. It was pitiful. William could not take pride in this and it would not be true victory if another dictator took the throne. It was not bring the freedom he had been seeking.
“ Then you never leave this room.” Ingaild said unemotionally. His cold stare told he was not bluffing. “ Now will you be my champion? Fight and kill Harvey and I will let you get on the next ship out of Neeskmouth and as long as I never see you again you may live. Lose or refuse and I will end you myself.” Ingaild asked never taking his eyes off of William. The pirate restrained in front of Ingaild fascinated him. He was outlandish and had taken a beating that would have made most men turn into whimpering children but William remained defiant until the end.
“I see no choice then, I’ll do it.” William said. He hated himself for saying it. He’d wanted to tell Ingaild to stick it where the monks keep their pencils but his slow search of the room had not revealed any magic way to escape and he really, really, didn’t want to die.
“ Good. Then the meal I promised will be yours and your wounds treated.” Ingaild pulled his weapon back slowly pulling it upright so the rounded base could drop against the stone floor with a loud and satisfying thud. This had seemingly been a signal someone had been waiting for as the broken door that had been pulled back into place was slid aside. “Remember even if you’re losing or offered the chance to stop, don’t. Do not stop fighting until your death. Surrender for you would mean death, and I promise you I will not make it painless.” Ingaild said turning away and walking to the small wooden throne.
Chapter eighteen - Emotional climb “ Well Fintan. It looks like your queen is going to be as out of luck as the Arch Mage is.” Calvin said glancing over his shoulder. “It would be funny if it wasn’t so bloody depressing.” Calvin turned back to face Fintan who had taken up to following as they made their way up the mountain path. He had started leading when they had first left the site of the Dragon attack but as the pecking order had been sorted out between the old man and the Elf, without the need of words. Fintan had ended up at the rear.
“I can’t believe the heart isn’t real. I just can’t.” Fintan said trying to take it all in. Calvin had explained everything to him the best he could. All about Rinwid and the search for the heart but it all seemed too farfetched for Fintan’s sheltered island life mind to take in.
“Well it’s not that it isn’t real Fintan. You see demon’s have an odd sense of morality about that. They won’t tell a lie, at least not a straight lie in a bargain. So the heart had to be real for Rinwid to come to a deal with me to destroy it. It just turns out the bloody thing is still in the chest of the Dragon itself.” Calvin said struggling to pull himself onto the edge of a boulder that blocked the ever thinning path. His little crooked legs kicked against its side like a turtle trying to mount another until finally, after catching his beard under his arm, he managed to pull himself up.
“ Let me get this right. So if we can somehow get the Dwarfs to help us kill the Dragon then the demon will use you to break the seal and release the ‘Dark One’ as they called it?” Fintan asked. The Dark one was something the Elves knew a lot about, almost as much as the Brilanka monks. You see the Elves lost their homeland to the breaking of a seal in 499db when the dark one destroyed the Earth Mother and made ruin of the Whispering Woods on the not so distant coast of Gologan.
“Yeah so seems we’re screwed either way .” Calvin said panting. “I need to rest a moment. I’m not as young as I once was.” Calvin said feeling more himself, which was not in this case a good thing. Rinwid had given him the energy to traipse through the miles of churning ash and battle the Dragons but that was all at the expense of Calvin’s spirit energy. He had not been a young man to start with but now he felt much older than his sixty-three years. Calvin did not know for sure but he wondered if that was why Rinwid seemed to have gone dormant for now, in fear that he might use up all of Calvin before he could achieve his plan. The journey from the Scorched Lands had been easier than either of them could have expected, once they had laid Darcy to rest they had headed almost due east and begun following the climb higher. The ash had fallen away quickly giving way to more solid rock and earth and it was not long before they could even start seeing small shoots of plants that were trying to push back the decay of the Scorched Lands. As the days had moved on they had climbed higher but it seemed like Calvin needed to rest more and more often. He had refused to eat or drink to start with but after the continual nagging of Fintan had given in, but this seemed to barely increase his vanishing strength.
“ Look at that view.” Fintan said joining Calvin sitting on the peak of the boulder. He had gotten used to the time it would take for the old man to rest up enough to continue the journey and at least now they had clear skies over them while they waited. “You can see most of Northern Neeska from here.” Fintan continued amazed by how far he could see. Life on the island had meant views were not something he had really come across. In this sense anyway, the furthest he had really been able to see while growing up was the edge of the clearing of trees. The view was indeed amazing. If they had not lost Darcy on route it may have made it all worth it, the shortness of breath, the aches and pains and the many lost days and sleepless nights. Just to gaze out and see all that lay before them. With their backs to the ash they could look out across the northern part of the continent of Neeska. To the west they could see a slim black line that pointed into the sky. It was the mages tower at the heart of the Tower Plains. Stretching out from it in all directions were lush green lands filled with valley’s dales, hills and crests. The odd tree even managed to blemish the otherwise perfect view. From the high point they could make out small flocks of deer that gathered not far from the foot of the mountain to feed in the warming sun. It had been two days since they had buried their friend and Neeskmouth had fallen and only four more days remained of the month of Nylar, the New Year month. Olar the month to sow would soon be on them and the planting season was finally turning pleasant as it should. The last of the Winnan storms and cold had been cast aside. Although the wind still blew with an icy blast on the mountain side, the sun was warm.
“ It’s incredible to think we’ve come so far. The Tower has to be fifty or sixty miles away easily and your island is there to the north behind those mountains the Dwarfs live in.” Calvin replied in awe himself. He had seen a lot of the lands from the mages tower. Looking out from the top windows watching the fireworks or just looking down over the garden but for some reason he could not put his boney old finger on, this just seemed more beautiful. Maybe it was the silence. The only noise was the gentle whisper of the wind as it fluttered past the mountain and the distant sound of bird song. “That must be over a hundred miles. How do you feel being so far from home?” Calvin asked feeling oddly at peace with it himself.
“I hadn’t really though that much about it.” Fintan lied. He didn’t know why he lied but he did. The truth was he had
thought about it almost none stop and he didn’t miss it. He felt some strange draw to keep travelling the same as he always had. He missed people he had grown up with and the look of Cadeyrn but he didn’t miss the home part of it really.
“ I guess you haven’t really had the chance to think. It couldn’t have been easy to face the Scorched Lands alone before you found us.” Calvin continued. Fintan was young and Calvin couldn’t help but feel like a teacher again. The druid might have been in his forties but to an Elf that was the same as a human teen, which on its own would have made Calvin feel parental towards the youngster but the fact he had only just discovered he had magic. Just like those Calvin would have taught before all this started, that just made it impossible to feel anything but being a tutor again and Calvin grabbed at the small fragment of his old life that he could remember.
“ I only did what my queen asked of me. No more, no less.” Fintan said keeping true to the loyal appearance that the bright armor he wore demanded of him. The truth was when he had arrived at the edge of the Scorched Lands after leaving Port Lust he had almost turned on his heels and gone back the way he had come but he couldn’t face a life of tending to the trees in the forest like a druid should. He had wanted something better for himself and so had forced his feet onwards.
“That’s honorable to be sure. I can’t knock you on that my boy but what now. You can’t get the heart so you might as well head on home once we’re done with the Dwarves. There is no need for more needless death.” Calvin said unable to shake the image of Darcy from his mind. The young noble had seemed too bright and full of life, if not a little odd, when he had come to the Tower. It seemed unfair that he should have been killed while Calvin himself trudged onwards at his advanced age.
Dragons Blight (Valadfar Book 1) Page 21
