“I’ve become something of an obsession for them,” Lathaar said, a bit of joy leaving his eyes. “Especially one in particular. But that is for another time.” He slurped down the rest of his bowl. “For now, I need sleep.”
“Amen to that,” Jerico said. “I’m glad you arrived, though. Ashhur brought us here for a reason. I hadn’t seen Keziel since the Citadel fell, and when I return, you show up within days of my own arrival.”
“I’m not sure I want to imagine why,” Lathaar said, grinning. “I’ve seen what he’ll throw at just one of his paladins. What does he think the two of us can handle?”
Jerico laughed.
“I’ll pray for both of us. Good night, Lathaar.”
“You too, Jerico.”
Jerico left for the only spare room while Lathaar curled his blankets tighter and scooted closer to the fire. After the month of riding, he finally felt at home. Still, sleep proved elusive. His mind kept drifting back to Tessanna, black wings arching out her back as she howled in the rain. He had seen that face before. He had seen it on Mira. Come the morning, he planned on finding out just what Keziel knew.
Prayer dominated all the morning rituals of the Sanctuary, and the sound of worship to Ashhur was constant. Keziel, being the eldest, attended the youngest at the prayers, and counseled those who were troubled. Lathaar remained patient, letting him complete his rounds before he would take him aside to talk. To pass the time, the two paladins sparred.
The ground was rough and cold but relatively flat on the north side of the Sanctuary, so they scraped a rough circle into the dirt. Lathaar wielded his longsword and shortsword, while Jerico twirled his mace while his shield remained on his back.
“Been a long time since I sparred with a paladin,” Lathaar said, stretching his arms. “Brings back plenty of good memories.”
“You were Mornida’s pupil, weren’t you?” Jerico asked. “Thought so. I remember hearing all this nonsense about prodigy and whatnot, some whelp of a kid five years younger than me that Lolathan died healing.”
“He was not punished by Ashhur,” Lathaar said.
“Easy there. Didn’t say he was. But I remember the whispers.”
Lathaar grabbed his ankle and stretched.
“Going to ready your shield?”
Jerico shrugged. “I don’t tell you when to draw your swords, do I?”
“Very well.”
Neither wore their armor at Lathaar’s insistence. It was just a harmless sparring match, not a competition, and he trusted each other to be skilled enough with their weapons. With a nod, they began.
Lathaar slashed with his longsword, keeping his shorter blade back and ready. Jerico parried it aside, grinning as he did. When the shortsword thrust in, straight for his gut, he had already stepped to the side. As it passed his exposed skin, he slapped it away with his mace.
“So you survived all those fights how?” he asked. “Surely not battle prowess?”
“Amusing.”
Lathaar stepped closer, swinging both blades in a high arc. Jerico blocked the first with his mace, angling the hilt of his weapon to push the second hit down so that it passed harmlessly before his leg. When the shortsword cut back and thrust, Jerico finally pulled down his shield. The fine edge turned against the brightly glowing surface. If he had been of evil nature, Lathaar’s arms would have jolted in pain, but instead he felt just a mild push at the contact.
Jerico placed the shield before him, covering all but his feet and the top of his head. Lathaar could not see, but he knew the way the paladin’s eyes were glinting that he was smiling.
“I may not be the best fighter,” Jerico said from behind his shield. “I’m probably not even good at it. But I’m harder than the abyss to kill.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Lathaar feinted twice, and neither time budged the giant shield. He thrust both his swords from one side, hoping to curl around the right edge of the shield. Jerico shifted, smashing away the swords as if they were nothing. Lathaar felt his arms pushed back from the contact. He gave his opponent no rest. Again his swords slashed out, this time from either side. Again the shield pushed them away, batting left and right. His swords accomplishing nothing, he tried a new tactic. He slammed his entire body against the shield, hooking the hilts of his swords against the edge. His body shook with the contact. He spun off, pulling with his swords to toss Jerico’s shield out and wide. Finally, his opponent was exposed.
And so was he.
The two were so close that Lathaar had no time to react before the ridged edges of Jerico’s mace rested against his neck.
“You were doing so well,” Jerico teased. “And then you had to do something stupid.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Lathaar said, pushing the mace away with his fingers. “I’ve never seen anything like what your shield has become.”
“No one has. I asked Keziel, as well Lolathan and Mornida at the Citadel. No paladin has been given the blessing that I have. It’s always the weapon we hold that projects our faith and gains Ashhur’s blessing. I guess for me, I’ve always viewed my shield as my greatest weapon.”
“I’d never outlast you,” Lathaar said, spinning his swords. “And you’ll never make a mistake. That’s how you lived all these years, isn’t it?”
Jerico kicked the dirt and blushed a little.
“You make me sound so much better than I am. I have a big shield and Ashhur’s made it glow. Let’s not get carried away here.”
Lathaar smashed his swords together, showering sparks to the ground.
“Again. I’ll figure out how to beat you. I just need some time.”
“You’re welcome to try,” Jerico said, hoisting up his shield so that his eyes just barely peered over. “Ashhur knows it’s been awhile since I had some competition.”
Lathaar tensed, thinking over several routines for attack, when suddenly Jerico lunged, his shield leading. Before he could move, the gleaming object slammed against his arms. He braced his legs to stop, but he was off balance and Jerico knew it. The shield lowered, and too late Lathaar understood why. A foot swept underneath, taking out Lathaar’s legs. The paladin hit the ground, gasping as the air was knocked from his lungs. Jerico stood over him, grinning.
“That’s to make sure you don’t get comfortable,” he said. “Don’t think I’m going to sit here all day letting you hack at me. Understood?”
He clipped his mace at his belt and offered his hand. Lathaar took it, shaking his head as he stood.
“I thought we’d practice, and maybe I’d teach you a thing or two. Guess it’s going to be the other way around, isn’t it?”
Jerico tapped his forehead with his forefinger.
“I had five years of training at the Citadel beyond what you were given. And don’t think you’ve fought any more, or suffered any worse, than I have since the Citadel fell. Normally I’d try to be gentler about this, but we’re the last. We have no chance for error and no room for pride. The next time we spar, we wear armor. Understood?”
“Yes, master,” Lathaar said, doing his best to swallow his bruised pride.
“Come on, now,” Jerico said, smacking him on the arm with an open palm. “No pouting, and no master, or teacher, or whatever else you can think of. I’m your brother in Ashhur and that’s more than good enough for me.”
Lathaar stood, sheathing his swords and then brushing off the dirt from his clothes.
“You going to be alright?” Jerico asked him.
“Yeah, yeah.” He bowed to the other paladin. “I just expect a bit more maturity from myself. We’ll spar again tomorrow, and it’ll be far closer than today, I assure you.”
Jerico grinned. “Now that’s more like it.”
Lathaar searched inside the Sanctuary, but it was outside that he found Keziel.
“I wouldn’t think the cold air would be good for an old man like you,” he said, bowing before his elder.
“The air’s cold everywhere, and a walk ami
d nature does me far better than the dim light inside.” He continued to shuffle along. “You have something on your mind, child? Out with it.”
“Have you thought about the curse on the girl I told you of last night?” Lathaar asked.
“If Calan cannot cure it, and believes that I cannot as well, then I trust his judgment,” Keziel said. “But you knew this before you ever came to me. What is it that really bothers you?”
“It’s about Mira,” he blurted. “I think there’s more to her than what you told me.”
“I told you everything you needed to know,” Keziel said, his eyes fixed firmly ahead. “She’s a special girl, one rarely born upon our world. Protect her, keep her safe, and nothing else should matter.”
“But I’ve found another,” Lathaar said. The old man halted his walk and stared at Lathaar with disbelieving eyes.
“You shouldn’t lie to an old man.”
“No lie. I have seen another, by the name of Tessanna. I witnessed her magic, and even fought against her. She rivals Mira in power, and she may well be her twin.”
Keziel resumed his walk. “What I can tell you will not ease the fears in your heart,” he said. “And it will not aid you in choosing your next path. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“I must know,” Lathaar said. “I made a promise to a friend.”
Keziel sighed and scratched his long white beard.
“I don’t think even Mira knows what she really is. Few do. Are you sure you want to hear?”
Lathaar nodded.
“Very well,” the old man said with another sigh. “Then listen carefully.”
The paladin did listen. And when Keziel was done, Lathaar knew a lot of riding awaited him in the coming months. Tarlak needed to be told. Mira too. And Keziel was right; his fears were not eased. Not in the slightest.
Where is it you think you’re going?” Jerico asked him as Lathaar saddled up his horse.
“Stonewood forest,” Lathaar replied, pulling tight one of the leather straps. “I need to find Mira and bring her to Veldaren.”
“Who’s Mira? You have a love I don’t know about?”
Lathaar chuckled.
“She’s a young woman. She helped me defeat Darakken not so long ago.”
“What’s so important about getting to her?”
“Too long a story to tell.” The paladin hoisted up a rucksack just behind the saddle and began tying it on. “At least at this moment, anyway.”
“So I finally find you and now you’re going to leave me? So rude, Lathaar. I expect better from a fellow paladin.”
Lathaar laughed.
“I assumed you would come with me, whether or not I asked you.”
Jerico leaned back against one of the wood beams that made up the stall.
“You assume wrong,” he said. “I’m still needed here. Ashhur has been quite clear about that during my prayers. If you bring this Mira girl here after you find her I’ll travel with you to Veldaren.”
The two paladins embraced.
“I know what you mean,” Lathaar said. “I hear his warnings too. Five days is all I ask. Stay safe until then, and throw me a prayer or two.”
“Toss me a few as well. I can’t imagine what need I have here in the Sanctuary, but if something or someone is crazy enough to attack here, I may need all the help I can get.”
At this Lathaar turned, hiding the trouble on his face. Jerico caught the look and refused to let it pass.
“You know who approaches, don’t you?” he asked.
“Five days,” Lathaar said, his back still to Jerico. “Four if I leave now and ride hard. They should not have caught up to me, but if they did… just be careful.”
He mounted his horse and grabbed the reins. Jerico frowned, displeased with how much he was being kept in the dark. As Lathaar rode south, Jerico decided he and Keziel needed to have a nice, long chat.
Once he was several miles from the Sanctuary, Lathaar closed his eyes and did his best to clear his mind as he rode along a faded road once traveled by pilgrims seeking healing from the clerics of Ashhur. It was many miles between them, but Mira had communicated beyond farther.
Can you hear me? he whispered in his head. No voice responded. The sound of his horse’s breathing grew louder in his ears. The clomps of the hoofs were like thunder.
Mira? Can you hear me? I’ve returned.
His eyes flared open as a female voice suddenly pierced into his mind in a cascading shriek.
OH GODDESS HELP ME!
He awoke still atop his horse. The sun had set, and when he looked around, he realized he had traveled many miles since he could last remember. He rubbed his eyes. It felt like knives shredded everything within his skull. The fear in Mira’s voice lingered within him. He remembered what Keziel had said, and his gut sank further.
“Please help her,” Lathaar prayed. “Keep her safe until I arrive.”
He stopped his horse and dismounted. There was no time to build a fire, so he pulled out his blankets, wrapped them about his body, and laid down to sleep. He let his mount wander in search of food and water, knowing she was well-trained enough to return before sunrise. The surrounding landscape was full of hills, and plenty of springs ran between them.
Lathaar thought of calling out to Mira again, but the ache behind his eyes deterred him. He needed rest, and he needed to hold faith in his god that she would be well when he arrived. He offered another prayer for her safety before succumbing to sleep.
Jerico had hounded Keziel much of the day, until finally the old man promised to tell all he knew once the sun was down and the rest of the Sanctuary was asleep. The paladin waited by the fireplace, polishing his shield to pass the time. When the priest finally entered carrying a plate with bread, butter, and a wide knife, he sighed at Jerico.
“Thrilled as I am to find another paladin alive, you certainly aren’t helping me forget the worries of this world,” he said.
“That’s what I am here for,” Jerico said, putting away his cloth. “Prayers aren’t enough for what I do. I carry my shield and mace for a reason, and that’s because this world is trouble.”
“In trouble, really,” Keziel said, sitting in a wooden chair next to the fire. He cut a slab of butter with his knife and began slathering it across the bread. “Something is coming, some event that all three gods have been preparing for. My heart tells me Mira has her part to play.”
“Who is Mira?” Jerico asked. “How you speak of her, I guess my question should be what is she?”
“Mira is a daughter of balance, granted life by Celestia’s own hand. She has been made in the goddess’s image. Our order has written of several daughters of balance, and they always have pure black eyes and long hair dark as the night. Their mothers conceive without need of a lover and then die in birth. These daughters are barren, at least we believe so, for none are ever recorded as being with child.”
Jerico shifted by the fire, trying to imagine what one such girl would look like.
“Why does she make them?” he asked.
“Because Celestia represents the balance between Ashhur and Karak. She wants their war to wage eternally in punishment for their transgressions against her and her world. As she sleeps amid the weave of fate, she can sense turning points in time. When the world would turn too far to the side of either brother god, she gives her power to a mortal girl, a girl whose entire fate is devoted to preventing any disruption to the balance.”
“So this Mira girl, she’s one of these daughters?”
Keziel took another bite of bread.
“I am certain of it. I once thought that her purpose was the slaying of the demon Darakken, and I still may be correct. But if Lathaar is correct, and a second daughter has been born, then something far greater is at stake.”
“Why would it matter?” Jerico asked. “If Mira’s was to prevent things from descending too far to darkness, why couldn’t this other girl be to do the same?”
“With the destructio
n of the Citadel, it would seem likely,” Keziel said, licking butter from his lips. “But not once has anyone recorded two daughters of balance existing within fifty years of another, let alone at the same time. Let me show you why.”
He cleaned the butter off his knife and then balanced it on the tip of his finger. With subtle twists of his wrist, the knife began to teeter.
“Imagine the left side being Ashhur, and the right, Karak,” he said as Jerico watched intently. “Our world constantly shifts between the two, as is the nature of such a war. But sometimes things are not even, such as when the Citadel fell.” He shifted his finger more, so that the knife was perilously close to falling off the right side of his finger. “It is then a daughter of balance is born.”
As Jerico watched, Keziel tapped the left side of the knife with his other finger. The knife rocked back and forth for a moment and then settled down into a gentler balance.
“As you can see, once a daughter of balance intervenes, everything is chaotic. The future is uncertain for a brief stretch of time. And if a second daughter exists…”
He smacked the knife with his finger so that it began to rock violently, and then hit it a second time. The knife careened off his finger to the stone floor, the clear ring piercing the quiet hall. Both stared at the knife, not saying a word. Keziel took another bite of bread, chewing it as he thought.
“I fear Celestia has grown desperate. The world may be approaching a point where one side must win, Karak or Ashhur. If this is true, then Mira may well be the key to victory. I respect the goddess’s desires and commands, but I would greatly prefer Ashhur to take control of this world than let it descend into Karak’s madness.”
Jerico grabbed one of his blankets, wrapped it about his body, and lay down upon the stone.
“And this other girl,” he asked. “The one Lathaar met in Veldaren. Isn’t it possible she too has her part to play, for good or ill?”
“I’m sure she does,” Keziel said, rising from his chair. “But from what he told me she is far from a beacon of light. She is dangerous, a wild creature. Go with Lathaar when he returns to Veldaren. He will need your help to deal with the threat she might pose.”
The Half-Orcs: Books 1-5 Page 63
