Kian chuckled, he liked Vandarus. He seemed like a good man. The Bandaran always seemed to be in a good mood unlike his other grim companions.
K’xarr had brought a horse along for Kian when they left the Birds of Prey, but when they had abandoned the wagon in Warmark the little healer was stuck riding the small mule that had been pulling it.
“Hey, Siro, see if you and your gallant steed can move a little quicker,” Vandarus called out.
“I really hate you, Vandarus, more every day.” Kian laughed. Vandarus had made sport of the healer since they met. The two had entertained their companions through the long days of riding. Sometimes even Siro had been amused by the Bandaran’s jokes. Kian had been worried about it at first; he thought the men really hated each other. He soon realized that the two men were just jesting with each other. The Half Elf still had a hard time understanding why people thought ridiculing someone was funny. So he just laughed along with them when they insulted each other.
The ride through Warmark had been uneventful and slow. The bleak land and its people were both unfriendly. The farther south they rode, the more futile the land became. They crossed the Tyborg River into the rich pasture lands of the Kingdom of Alarusia. Kian thought the countryside was beautiful. Small farms dotted the landscape, and they had even passed a couple of small towns. They had not stopped at any of them, K’xarr thought it better not to visit anywhere with too many people. He told them it was too easy to get into trouble in a town. K’xarr had looked right at him when he made the statement. The Camiran said that he want to keep traveling east and get on the Gold Road. His plan was to follow it south.
Kian couldn’t wait to get his first look at the famous road even though he was a little nervous. The Gold Road was heavily traveled, he would have to be careful and to try and hide his race as best he could. Most humans were at best indifferent or just rude to his kind, but there were those whose hatred for half-breeds would cause them to do violence over their prejudices and misconceptions. Sometimes he wished he was human and didn’t have to face the world’s scorn. It would make things much easier for him and his new companions.
They made camp not long after crossing the great Tyborg River. They ate a sparse meal of dried beef and wild onions. The small company all sat around a crackling fire as the sun sank below the horizon. “K’xarr told us you’re a trained swordsman, Kian, is that true?” Rufio asked from where he sat, leaning back on his arms.
Kian nodded. “Yes, that is true.”
“Don’t take this as an insult but how did you find a master to train you, being a Half Elf and all?”
Kian gave the Rufio a sad grin. “It is a long story.”
The stocky Dragitan moved around until he seemed comfortable. “I have nothing to do at the moment but listen to a long story.” The others all gathered around waiting to hear what Kian had to say.
He had not thought of Elu in a long time. “My first master was Elven, his name was Elu Elensar. He was a frequent visitor of my mother’s.
He was a very old, even by Elven standards. I took a liking to him right off, sometimes when he was waiting for my mother to take him up to her room, he would tell me stories about knights and dragons and Elven heroes from long ago.”
Rufio sat up. “Your mother was a courtesan?”
Kian hung his head. “She was.”
“No shame in that, Kian, I have known many fine whores,” Cromwell said. “There was one that lived in the villages of the Claw Clan that had the biggest…”
“Cromwell,” K’xarr interrupted.
“What?”
“Shut up, Kian, go on with your tale.”
Cromwell gave K’xarr a dirty look. “My apologies, Kian, go on.”
Kian took a breath and continued. “I grew very fond of the old man ,he was kind to me. Few of my mother’s visitors were. Elu was smitten with my mother, Kia. He came to see her at least twice a week. The old man had asked her to marry him many times, I could tell she was fond of him but her answer was always no. Once I had asked her why she always turned down Elu’s proposals.
“She told me she didn’t want to disgrace Elu and was not worthy to be any man’s wife. Her refusals never deterred Elu from trying to win her hand. I think in the beginning his offer to train me was one of his ploys to get her to agree to the marriage.
“Anyway one night as I readied myself for bed, she asked me if I would like to live with Elu for a while. I was very hurt, I thought I had done something wrong and she wanted to send me away or sell me, a fate that happened all too often to the children of Thieves Port. Mother saw I was upset, she told me Elu would teach me things that she could not, like how to defend myself and how to live with honor.
“I asked why she could not teach me these things. She said, ‘I’m not an Elven warrior and I have no honor left, Son.’”
Kian paused, remembering the tears in his mother’s eyes that night. It had bothered him a great deal when he found out she felt that way.
The Half Elf went on. “Elu would not take my brother, he said Tavantis could be trained when he was finished with me. He told us he could only handle one student at a time. My mother and I both knew Tavantis was a more resilient boy than I. So she wanted me to be the first to go with Elu, so I agreed. I was eight years old.”
“How old are you now, Kian?” Vandarus asked.
“I’m fifty-two, I believe.”
All the men looked at each other. Vandarus seemed the most fascinated by the Half Elf’s age. “You look no more than twenty. So it’s true about how long the people of the Elven race live?” The blonde man asked.
“Yes, Elu was over a thousand years old and I would be considered a very young man by anyone Elven.”
Vandarus looked at the Half Elf in disbelief.
“Vandarus, you’re as bad as Cromwell, just let him finish,” K’xarr said.
Kian nodded his thanks to the Camiran. “Elu had been a Shield for the Last Ruler of the Elven King Tathar Celebrindal. The Shields were the Royal Guard for the Elven King and his family.
“From the first time I picked up a sword, I knew it was meant to be in my hand. I listened to everything Elu told me. Over the next few years, I got better and better. Elu always said he was a good teacher but I was a better student. I went and saw my mother almost every day and tried to spend time with Tavantis, but he was seldom home when I was there.
“When I was twelve years old, Elu went to my mother and told her he had taught me all he could. ‘The student has surpassed the master. The boy has a true talent for the sword, Kia. His training should not end here with me.’
“He thought I should go where I could be trained by someone with much greater skill than he possessed. He told us he had a friend that lived in the Blue Dagger Mountains, but it would mean I had to leave Thieves Port for a very long time, perhaps forever. My mother was torn, but she knew if I stay with her my life would be wasted and miserable.
“I was very excited about leaving the city. I would miss my mother and Tavantis terribly, but a chance to leave Thieves Port could not be turned down. Mother agreed to let me go and I vowed to her that one day I would return.
“Elu told me I would have to cross the sea and enter the Blue Dagger Mountains. That was where King Tathar Celebrindal’s Champion lived, the First Sword of the Elven Nations. Gildor Singollo, he had been the Sunblade to the last Elven King. The way Elu had told it, they had been good friends long ago and he had visited this Gildor at his cabin in the mountains before he came to Thieves Port. He also told me that Gildor was the best swordsman he had ever seen. So the old man wrote a letter to his friend and drew a map that would guide me through the mountains to the swordsman’s home.
“My mother had saved a little coin, it was just enough to pay for my passage on a ship called the Sea Devil. The captain of the ship told her there were no ports near the mountains, but if she would see fit not to charge him for a night of pleasure he would make sure that I was put off as close as he could get
me to my destination.
“She agreed. The trip was set. I went and found Elu and told him the news. We talked all night about the trip, the old warrior even told a few stories about the man I was going to meet. The way it sounded Gildor could have defeated the Reaper and the Red Handed all by himself. I thanked him for all he had taught me, and I reminded him he had agreed to train my brother. I thought in a few years Tavantis could join me in the mountains and we could train with Gildor together.
“The old man promised to see to my brother and promised to be there on the dock when I left. Elu broke both promises; I found him dead the next day.”
“What happened?” Rufio asked.
“We found him in his home face down in a bowl of porridge. My mother said it must have been the old man’s time to go. He was over a thousand years old, after all. We buried him the following day. It had been hard to watch them put him in the ground. Elu had been a good friend to us, he changed my life and I would miss him. Though he was dead, I was determined to go through with what he had arranged for me.
“I said all my goodbyes to the women of the Heavenly Hole, and they even had a little party for me. Everyone had tried to be happy, but with Elu’s death so fresh in our minds it had not been much fun. My mother cried a lot, but she said it was just because she would miss me so very much.
“My brother was the only one that I had not said my goodbyes to. Tavantis had become hard to find of late. We were both twelve, and Mother had stopped trying to keep us in and he took full advantage of it. So I waited up all night for him to come home. I had been thinking of Elu when Tavantis came in just before dawn. I tried to tell him goodbye but he would have none of it. I think he was mad because he had lost his chance to train with Elu and I was leaving. He just stared at me for a moment as if he was deliberating about something. I made him promise to take care of Mother while I was gone. He told me that was one thing I wouldn’t have to worry about. Then he walked out the door back into the early morning light. That was the last time I ever saw him.
“Later that morning my mother had walked me to the docks when it came time to get on the ship. She told me she would not cry, but she did.
“She hugged me. I can still remember how her beautiful hair had smelled and how her wet tears felt on my cheek. The thing I remember the most though was the last thing she said to me. ‘It’s not who or what you are, Son. It’s how you live.’
“I boarded the Sea Devil and sailed east. My mother waving from the dock is my last memory of her.” The small fire had burned down, everyone was too involved with the Half Elf’s story to have put any more wood on it.”
“What then, Kian, you found this Gildor?” Rufio seemed genuinely interested in the tale.
“Yes, I found Gildor, but that is another story.”
Sparks flew up from the dim fire as K’xarr threw two large branches on it. “Are you done now bard, or do you want to sing a song?”
Kian looked at K’xarr confused. “I am finished.”
“Good, I want to get an early start tomorrow, everyone should try to get some rest.” Every one of them was tired from the day’s ride, and they quietly bedded down for the night.
K’xarr went to check on the horses alone after everyone was settled. Kian and his stupid story, he thought. Mothers, brothers, family, the half-breed was too soft hearted to be a warrior. K’xarr didn’t think the Half Elf would live very long, if he didn’t stop worrying about other people and sulking about his missing family. The story had made K’xarr think of his own family and that was something he never liked to do.
The sun was shining and he was among friends. Kian chose to not worry about the world and its people today. He eased his black gelding alongside the healer’s mule. “Siro, do you think we will stay at an inn tonight?”
The man didn’t look at Kian. “No, K’xarr sent Rufio and Vandarus a league or two to ahead to see the lay of the land. They found little but a few farms and one tiny village. I don’t think any farmer would welcome our little group spending the night in his barn. I doubt if there was an inn that would welcome our business either.” Kian kept pace with the healer’s mule, he had to agree with the man. If he were a farmer, he wouldn’t be too happy to see their group riding on to his land.
“I never thanked you properly for saving my life, Siro, I won’t forget it.”
“It’s my calling, Son, think nothing of it. Before I left Ardak many years ago my father said I would never be of use to anyone.”
Kian looked at the healer curiously. “Why would he say that?”
“Well I’m small and have a slight hump in my back and I’m not the most attractive man in the world if you hadn’t noticed.” Kian still looked at Siro like he didn’t understand.
“Have you ever been to the Harsh Coast?” Siro asked.
“No, but I can find it on a map,” Kian said with pride.
“Well that’s good, but if you haven’t been there it will be hard for me to make you understand, but since you are curious I will try. Ardakians are a warlike race, most of the lands of the Harsh Coast prize skills that involve strong bodies and an aptitude with weapons. Just like your friends K’xarr and Cromwell. I was never strong and had little interest in weapons. When I began reading and learning my craft, my father was not happy with me. He said I had been a waste of his seed and he should have killed my mother and me. So I took his displeasure to mean my father may at some point in my life decide to kill me. I left the Coast not long after his outburst and tried to find someone who would appreciate my skills.”
“Your father was wrong and cruel, Siro, you are a very handy man to have around.”
The healer smiled, “I am glad you think so. Ardak is not a land known for its tender people. My father was like most other Ardakians, nasty and callous. It is just the way of the Harsh Coast. Now go on and stop bothering me. I accept your thanks with pleasure. ” Kian rode on up ahead, he like the healer even though Siro could be gruff at times.
Vandarus rode his big bay alongside Rufio. “I have a question for you, my Dragitan friend.”
Rufio rolled his eyes. “If you have come up here to try to be funny, Vandarus, I’m not in the mood.
“No, that’s not what I wanted and I don’t have to try to be funny.” The Bandaran grinned. “I wanted to know what you make of this bunch.”
“Why ask me? You’ve been around them as long as I have.”
“That’s true, but you’re the one who was an officer in the mighty Dragitan army, and you have a lot more wear on you than I do.”
Rufio ran his hand through his curly black hair. “It was junior officer and I only lasted about a year in the legions.”
The blonde man held out his hands. “Well, it’s more experience than I have.”
“Ok, Vandarus, I will tell you what I think as long as you promise to keep it to yourself, but first tell me why you’re asking?”
Vandarus’s grin faded. “I don’t know, sometimes I just get a strange feeling about them. Not the healer so much, it’s the other three.”
Rufio, normally a very serious man, chuckled. “I know what you mean, my friend, it’s because someone else rides with them.”
Vandarus looked back to where the others rode, he saw no one else.” What do you mean, Rufio?”
“I believe death rides with them.”
The Bandaran’s eyebrows rose. “What the hell does that mean? You’re not doing much to quell my fears, Rufio.”
The Dragitan smiled at the younger man. “I didn’t think you spooked that easy. You’re a fighting man, Vandarus, why would you fear death?”
The Bandaran sighed heavily, “I don’t, at least no more than any other man, but I am not sure I want to ride with it.”
“Well, I believe we are doing just that.” Rufio nodded his head toward the Camiran. “Look at K’xarr up there in that mismatched armor and that old long sword of his. Not a coin in his pocket. Most men like that I would not give a second thought let alone to ride with, but
look into his eyes, Vandarus, you will see the cunning there. The focus, his mind is always at work. He is a deliberate man, command comes very easy for him. Being a leader is just his nature. If he’s not killed young, I think he could be a great man one day. Rufio turned and looked toward the big Toran riding alongside K’xarr.
“Now his friend Cromwell there, would you care to have him for an enemy? He would hunt a man to the ends of the earth, if he felt it must be done for his honor’s sake. Fear does not live in him, Vandarus. He would follow you to the very gates of hell, if he counted you a friend.”
Vandarus looked behind him to where Kian rode alone. “What about the half-breed?”
“Kian is the most dangerous of all and not just because he is skillful with a blade. He would die for a cause large or small with no regret if he thought that cause just, but that’s not what makes him dangerous. The lethal fact is he would kill just as quickly for that cause. You saw him in the village, he killed the captain without hesitation or regret, because he felt it was the right thing to do. I’m glad he is a man of a good nature because he is truly a killer, Vandarus. Death will follow all three of them. Never forget that, my young friend.”
“I won’t, but if you feel like they are such dangerous men, why not just ride away?” Rufio tilted his head and looked at his friend. “I seek glory, Vandarus, and its men like them that can lead me to it.” Rufio galloped ahead, leaving Vandarus behind grinning.
“It’s getting dark, we should eat and let the horses rest for the night,” K’xarr said. The air was a bit warmed now that summer was near at hand in the lands this far south. They found a stand of trees and fixed their dinner there. Rufio and Vandarus had somehow found six freshly killed chickens on their scouting trip.
Kian knew they had stolen them but he had not had chicken in a long while, and he didn’t mind a little stealing to eat.
He and Tavantis had done some stealing back in Thieves Port when they had been short of food, but their mother had not liked it at all. Anytime she found out, Kia had made them give back whatever they had stolen.
Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) Page 14
