Visions: Knights of Salucia - Book 1

by C. D. Espeseth

  She was almost to the door, but as it opened, the last person she had wanted to see today stepped through: Barry Stenson, son of the Lord Mayor of Blossom Bay, along with his group of lackeys. Naira groaned inwardly, there was no way to get by them.

  “Naira! I’m so glad you’re here.” Barry spread his arms wide like the over-expressive jerk he was. “Fetch me a drink, wench!”

  Barry's weasel-like smile, along with his cronies giggling behind him, made her stomach try to empty itself. She would like nothing more than to wipe that cocky smile right off his face – but she didn't need that now. All she had to do was get to the docks.

  “Sorry, Barry, I’m not working today, I was just leaving actually.” She moved to let them go by, but Barry stood there looking at her.

  "Is that so? Well, I say you are working today." He stepped forward, reached around and smacked her bottom, before grabbing it in front of everyone. "Now be a good wench and fetch that drink." His breath already smelled of wine, no doubt today was another day on which he and his rich friends were slumming it and making trouble for everyone.

  She heard a table move, and Cletus growl. “Cletus. No.” Naira held up her hand to the big man. “I’ll handle this.” She had had a lifetime of these situations. Retaliating, in any way, always turned out bad for a girl from the docks and anyone who helped her, especially when it was the Lord Mayor’s son doing the provoking. She knew she should just get the drink and slip out later when they were preoccupied. No repercussions, no trouble for anyone – but today was different.

  Today she was a somebody. Today she was leaving this little hovel of a town to become a Corsair, and a Corsair wouldn’t have to take this from a backwater mayor’s son. Maybe it was her frayed emotions from her confrontation with her mother, maybe it was too many awkward hugs and men assuming they could get away with it, but whatever it was, today she just couldn’t take it anymore. Sorry, Johnny.

  “Wench?” Naira reached down and grabbed Barry’s wrist, jabbing her fingers hard into the pressure points she knew were there. He tried to snatch his hand back in surprise, but she wasn’t finished with him. Her fingers dug in and wrenched the hand which had touched her bottom up behind his back.

  Barry squealed like a frightened child, eliciting a laugh from the room full of watchful patrons. She watched his eyes bulge in pain and confusion as she bent his wrist back on itself. The leverage on his elbow must have been excruciating. Part of her wanted to push just a bit further until she heard bones snap. “You don’t get to call me that anymore, Barry. You will call me sir, or ma’am, as my rank will dictate.”

  One of his lackeys moved towards her. She swivelled and smashed the heel of her boot into big man’s dumb face. She heard the crunch of nose cartilage breaking and Barry squealed again at the sight his henchman crumpling to his knees.

  Naira eyed the second one. “By all means, step forward and see what happens.” She kept her voice calm despite her pounding heart and fixed the second goon with as evil a grin as she could muster. She twisted Barry’s wrist a fraction more and this time he whimpered. “Stay back, you idiot! She’s going to break my arm!” Barry cried.

  The second henchman put his hands up and backed away.

  "Good." Naira moved herself to the door and leant to whisper in Barry's ear. "This arm, Barry," she gave his arm a slight shake, "is now my property, and if I come back to this gods-forsaken hole of a town and hear you've been molesting Johnny's girls ..." she leant in closer, “I will take this arm, Barry, and I’ll nail it to the mast of my ship so my crew can laugh at the man who disobeyed Naira O’Bannon!” She threw her weight into his back, let the wrist go, and slammed his head against the wall. Barry dropped to the floor with a bloody nose.

  She left Johnny Blin’s to uproarious applause and walked out into the late morning light to pump her fist with joy. "Oh, that felt good!" she shouted, and for the first time in a long time Naira smiled simply because she was happy. She adjusted her rucksack – the few things she would keep from this place – and ran down the street with the smile still on her face, for she ran towards a boat, and it was taking her far away from here.

  12 - Entangling - Naira

  The Arbiter was reputed to be only a man, but accounts regarding his actual appearance seem confused. Descriptions vary from demon-like, with fangs and talons, to huge a reptile with glistening black skin. Some even say he doesn’t have a body at all and instead floats across the battlefield as a shade. The only consistent features are that he wields some sort of otherworldly dark blade and that it is death to face him. The Arbiter is meant to be the Hand of Halom and enforcer of the Singer faith; however, from our collected descriptions, the Arbiter seems more likely to be a disciple of the Dark Lady, Mishakiel.

  Notes: Further research required. Chronicler Simon Rathelson has submitted to have this entry moved into his upcoming edition of A Common History by historical significance.

  - Chronicler Henrietta Martin in A Study of Salucian Mythology

  Naira’s feet pounded down the wooden planks of the pier as she ran towards the queue of people already beginning to board. She had made it, but just barely. Naira scanned the crowd for Adel and saw Mr Corbin’s severe figure waiting with his daughter in a small space within the crowd. Those who knew Mr Corbin in Blossom Bay respected him, but still tried to give him a wide berth, as though he were a wolf walking amongst dogs.

  The two appeared so different from each other: Mr Corbin was tall and angular, with an intelligent raptor-like face, dark hair, and cold icy-blue eyes, whereas Adel had long golden hair, a short, muscular physique, and innocent emerald-green eyes. Naira assumed Adel looked like her mother, though she had never met the woman. Adel’s mother had died in childbirth and Mr Corbin had had the difficult job of raising a daughter on his own while still trying to run a small farm by himself.

  Naira watched them a moment longer. A pigeon spooked a few people in the crowd near them, but both father and daughter reacted as predators would, with a calm detached cataloguing of the action. Naira was one of the few people who knew that the pair’s differences were only on the surface: both father and daughter walked with an air of expected action and implied consequences. They both exuded a physical confidence and capability that was far beyond that of anyone else.

  Yet despite his severity, Mr Corbin had always been kind to Naira, and if truth be told he was the closest thing she had to a father figure in her life; and yet his presence still unnerved her.

  Mr Corbin never spoke about what he did before he settled near Blossom Bay, only that he had fought in the wars, but Naira knew he was more than just a soldier. She had met soldiers before, served them at Johnny Blin’s, and they didn’t have what Mr Corbin had. It felt like being in the presence of a shark. No, that wasn’t quite right: sharks were primal; but he had that same promise of instant, horrible violence if needed. Naira had seen some of Adel’s training sessions with him at their farm. It was like watching a pair of tornados fight.

  Mr Corbin saw her then and waved her over. “I was worried we might have to go looking for you,” he said with genuine concern. She saw a lifting around the corner of his eyes, which was as close to a smile as she had seen from the man.

  “No need, sir. I was just wrapping up a few things in town. Took longer than I thought. Apologies.” She nodded formally to him.

  “We weren’t waiting long.” Adel smiled and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m just glad you made it. I wasn’t looking forward to a ferry ride by myself.”

  There was something shaky about Adel’s voice. As if she had been crying not long ago. Naira reached over and gave her a hug. “No need to worry, Pix,” she said with a wink, watching as Adel rolled her eyes at the private nickname. Naira had said once when they were young that Adel looked like a pixie, and the name had stuck. Granted, Naira also thought it was quite funny to watch Adel roll her eyes like that, but the name also worked because a girl nicknamed “Pix” was not expected to kick the living
daylights out of you.

  “I wouldn’t leave you on your own,” Naira said. “Imagine the sort of trouble you’d get into without me.”

  “You two are to look after each other,” Mr Corbin said as he waggled his finger at the two of them. “New Toeron is a big city full of sin, full of places to tempt young minds down dark paths.” His tone made both girls straighten up and listen. He was looking out to sea, his steely eyes seeing something that made him frown. “I trained you both to be strong, and you will need each other’s strength in the years to come.”

  “Yes, sir,” Naira and Adel said in unison.

  Naira watched as the throng of people waiting to board the ferry began to thin. She nodded towards the crowd not really knowing how to respond to Mr Corbin’s warning.

  “We should probably go,” she said as she forced herself to step forward so she was facing Mr Corbin. She wanted to make it through this without crying. “Sir,” she started, forcing down a lump rising in her throat, “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done. You didn’t have to help me, but your house was a sanctuary for me growing up. A place of safety when I needed it. I wouldn’t have been able to get into the Academy without your help and support.” That pesky lump was trying to force its way up, and Naira hastily wiped away a stray tear. “Thank you, Mr Corbin.”

  Her words seemed to crack Mr Corbin’s rigid facade for a moment, and she was rewarded with the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. There was kindness in him, hidden behind the steel – you just needed to know how to look for it.

  He surprised them both then as he put his arm around her and pulled her and Adel close to him. He hugged them both, and Naira could feel her breath quicken along with Adel’s. Those rebellious tears were threatening to overtake her, and she saw Adel struggling to fight back the tears as well. She had never known Mr Corbin to display any public affection.

  “Halom has guided you onto these paths, taking you far from here. I can only hope I, as his servant, have prepared you well enough for what lies ahead.” His strong wiry arms squeezed them closer. The pressure felt good. “Trust in Him, and you shall be sheltered. When you are alone and in the dark, look for Halom, for He is in all things and His Song resonates within us. When hope is lost, know that He is there,” Mr Corbin said, and released them.

  “We will, father,” Adel croaked beside her. “We will be strong. We will have faith.”

  Mr Corbin nodded, satisfied. “I know you will.” He moved to Adel and grasped the long leather case she was holding. “Remember Fellow Callahan; find him as soon as you can. He will know what to do.”

  “Last boarding call for the New Toeron ferry!” a strong voice bellowed from the behind them. “Last call!”

  “That’s us,” Naira said, regaining some of her composure. She was buzzing with a mix of excitement and fear. She wouldn’t miss Blossom Bay, or, sadly, even her own mother, but she would miss Mr Corbin and the farm. She found Adel’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Time to go.”

  “Right.” Adel nodded. Adel looked as if she wanted to say more to her father, but didn’t. She nodded respectfully to him and they shared a quiet smile before parting.

  Naira pulled her friend with her and ran down the pier. Two village girls running to become Knights, she thought to herself as she scampered onto the ferry’s deck, what a strange and wonderful world we live in.

  “Tickets?” A big blond bull of a man greeted them at the top of the gangplank and held out his hand.

  “Henric,” Naira said as she winked at the handsome young man, “always a pleasure.”

  “You working this trip, Naira?” Henric almost seemed hopeful.

  When Naira wasn’t working at the betting house, she had taken more than a few shifts aboard the Shard Maiden; an illustrious name for the less than illustrious ferry they now stood on. Henric had quite often attempted to flirt with her during those shifts, but she had never seen him as more than a friend. It was awkward at times, but Naira had dreams. Dreams which didn’t leave time for men to slow her down.

  “Not this or any other trip ever again, Henric,” she said with a big sigh, “I’m going to be a Corsair. A Knight of Salucia.”

  “Wow!” Henric said. “Congratulations. You and Adel are both going then?”

  “That’s right,” Naira said, putting an arm around Adel.

  “Well,” Henric said, “don’t forget us little people when you’re all famous.”

  “I don’t think anyone would ever call you little, Henric,” Naira said, which seemed to appease him. The big ferryman ushered them on board with another friendly smile before taking the next person’s ticket.

  Naira pulled Adel with her towards the railing at the front of the ferry so they could look out to sea. This was it. It was really happening. Once they started out onto that great blue-green expanse she would never be back. She took a breath and savoured the moment.

  A tall and very finely dressed man moved to make room for them as he too was staring out across the waves.

  “Thank you,” Naira said, smiling up at the tall stranger.

  As she did, however, she found herself unable to look away. The stranger was darkly handsome in a way she had never seen before. He was beautiful. So much so that Naira found herself staring. He turned and his eyes met hers. They were of the deepest pale blue. Like the ice of a glacier. “I ... uh ...” She tried to speak but stood transfixed.

  The tall, well-dressed man nodded in acknowledgement, and Naira felt her fingers tremble as he turned to speak to them. “Did I hear you mention you were headed to the Academy?”

  Naira tried to speak but her tongue felt like it had suddenly gone numb, and a simple “Yes” was all she managed to stammer. What’s wrong with me? A man had never made her do this before. “Are you going to the Academy? My name is Naira by the way, and this is my friend Adel. And you are?”

  She groaned inwardly at her impetuousness. Stay calm! He’s only a man. What had come over her? This was no time to be swooning! She felt betrayed by her own emotions. This was the sort of thing which happenned to silly girls who thought a man was the answer to everything. Like what happened to mother.

  The thought hit her like a brick in the head and sobered her enough to calm herself down enough to slow her initial shock from the beautiful stranger.

  The man chuckled slightly at her awkwardness, which only made it worse. “Actually yes, I am also headed to the Academy, but not for the same reasons. No, I have other ...” he paused for a moment and winked at her “.,, interests in New Toeron, shall we say.” He bowed and took her hand in his, and then, gently but firmly, kissed the top of it. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he said, and then repeated the same motions with Adel. “I am Thannis Euchre.”

  Naira found her courage then. “Well, Thannis, we have a long trip ahead of us,” she said as the ship pushed away from the docks and the oars slid out below them, “Shall we find some seats together?”

  “Yes,” Thannis loomed beside her and smiled playfully, “that sounds like an excellent idea.”

  13 - Back Home - Matoh

  The Tiden Raika, that’s what all of this is about. Somehow we had lost our way. We became untethered from that tremendous guiding force, and from within the chaos we had grown to become destructive to all things, parasitic and … evil. It is my hope that the actions I take will lead us back to the true path, back into harmony with the flow of all things.

  The only way to begin that was for a cleansing fire to wipe the world clean. The old diseased forest must burn away to let new saplings grow up into the light.

  I was that fire. I wiped the world clean.

  Now it is my job to help the saplings grow pure and healthy. So I will try to change those who inhabit this scorched world. Alter them so they can feel the very flow of the Tiden Raika. I will not live long enough to see this ability manifest, but I have faith in my skills and in those of the NREs.

  We must succeed in this, or else all of this will
have been for nought.

  - Journal of Robert Mannford, Day 001 Year 00

  Matoh sat upon a giant stone, upon a cliff overlooking New Toeron’s harbour, listening to the surf roll into the rocks below as the sun set. The Red Tower rose up above the city below on its crag across the sheltered harbour. It was beautiful up here, it always had been, and at that moment Matoh doubted he had ever been happier to be home.

  “Gods, I love this city,” he said with a smile. The sweat on his back was beginning to feel cold. He had just practiced the twelve sequence in his longsword forms. It had felt good to finally be able to move properly again. Well, almost properly: his leg still felt stiff and a bit weak, but it had held up to the demanding sequence.

  The warmth of the giant stone beneath him felt good. Almost as if it seeped into him and warmed him to the very soul. The stones had always been warm, ever since he could remember. Not hot, never hot, just warm, but it was a warmth so comforting Matoh had found himself coming here more and more over the years. Although he didn’t just come to the great circle of ancient stones upon the cliff for their warmth and the view.

  This had been the last place he had seen his mother alive.

  It was one of his earliest memories. It had been misty that morning, misty and somehow still bright. He remembered only the shadow of an almost completed Red Tower outlined against the light. She had been sitting right here on this very stone, holding him in her arms as she said goodbye. “I love you, Matoh. Be a good boy. Be strong.”

  “I will, mother,” he said to the setting sun. He made himself stand, bracing himself against the stone before his memories could force a tear out of him. The setting sun meant he had to get back home. The gates between the districts would soon begin to close and he didn’t want to have to convince the guards to let him through. Though he knew many of them by name now.

  It would take him the better part of half an hour to get back, and with his tired leg it was best to set off early. He walked back down the hill, through a thicket of trees and out into the city he had spent nearly his whole life in. The city he called home. The city he would soon be responsible for protecting, and that thought made him smile.