Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1)

by A. J. STRICKLER

  “In Camir every warrior is needed to fight off the rival villages and raiding parties. If not for that fact I would have been put to death as an infant. Whenever anything bad happened in the village, I was blamed. My father and the elders often discussed the idea of killing me. It didn’t matter how many times I fought for our village I was never part of it.” K’xarr paused, there was no need to get into details of the night he left home. No one listening would understand. “One night I just left and fled to the mountains living alone for a very long time with only starvation and death to keep me company.

  “As I got older, I journeyed west. Some time ago before I sailed away from the Harsh Coast, I happened to run across a man who told me a story about a monster that lived in the mountains of Tora. He said the Blood Clan was offering a large bounty for anyone who could kill it.

  “I was young and foolish and needed coin, so I went into the mountains to kill the creature. As you can see, I did find the monster.” K’xarr looked at Cromwell, the Toran hung his head and would not look anyone in the eyes. “After we tried to kill each other we talked; his story was little different than mine. We decided to travel together and here we are, end of story.” K’xarr walked over and gave Cromwell a soft kick in the leg. “You want to tell them your tale now?”

  Cromwell looked up at his friend. “No, I do not.” K’xarr nodded his understanding.

  “We don’t know anything about the curse, where it came from, or why only we have it.” K’xarr looked at Endra. “Now that we have found another like us, you can give some of the answers to our questions. That’s why I tried to stop you from leaving.”

  The woman just looked at the men on the other side of the fire, keeping her thoughts to herself.

  Endra felt that perhaps she had misjudged this group of men. They were mercenaries and there were few races of warriors more ruthless than the Torans and Camirans. They didn’t act like their countrymen or she might have already been raped and killed, not necessarily in that order.

  The men had shared their food and bound her wound. She held no grudge about the cut. She deserved it after she had tried to kill their leader. She felt lucky she hadn’t lost her head.

  There was something about the men that made her feel comfortable, almost drawn to them. Maybe it was the blood?

  The mercenaries had to be tolerant they traveled with a Half Elf. Even the hunters of Sorrack shunned those creatures, not that any had ventured into their lands, but their kind was known.

  It was said they were evil, though she did not get that kind of feeling from this one. The Half Elf had helped her fight the Hands. What could it hurt to tell them what had happened to her? It was a very personal story, but she hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about what had happened to her in five years.

  She had only the children to keep her company, and she had never been able to risk talking with anyone. The danger was too great. She had only told it once and had been imprisoned for it. This wasn’t the ideal audience, but she might never get another chance to tell the tale, and someone in the world should know the truth so they could warn others.

  Endra decided she would tell her story and see if they believed her. Few people would and she wouldn’t blame them, it happened to her and she could barely believe it. Besides the one called K’xarr said they would leave if she told them what she knew of the blood. “I will tell you what I know.”

  K’xarr looked at the woman. “It’s the right decision, we can both benefit from sharing what we know.”

  “Maybe, but my story is nothing like yours.”

  Kian put more wood on the fire, shadows danced all around the small patch of woods as she began.

  “I don’t think I have any answers for you, but you can judge for yourself.” She got up from where she sat, putting the little girl between the boys. The larger of the two put his arm around the girl, and she leaned against him yawning.

  “I can tell you that I was not born with this blood like you two were. I was a normal girl until I was fifteen, that’s when it happened. Let me start from the beginning.” Endra ran her hands through her thick hair. It had been so long since she had spoken with adults.

  “In Sorrack we are all hunters like the Toran said. The young must hunt small game on their own until they are asked to join the elders on a true hunt.

  “In my fifteenth year my father and uncle had told me it was my time. I was eager to go on my first hunt. In my land it is a very prestigious thing when a young man or woman is first asked to accompany their elders.

  “My mother thought I was too young but father told her I was ready and she said no more, though I knew that didn’t mean she would not worry about me. I was her youngest daughter. I gathered my weapons and warm furs and the hunt party left the next morning.

  “Three days north of the village we came across the tracks of a mammoth herd. We followed the herd’s trail until my uncle spotted the tracks of a white dragon.”

  “I have never seen a dragon.” Kian chimed in.

  “Be quiet so you can hear about one then,” snapped K’xarr.

  The Half Elf winced. “Sorry.”

  “It’s alright, not many have seen a true dragon, they are as rare to find as a … Half Elf.”

  Kian’s lips tightened and he nodded to the woman.

  “There were only ten of us in our hunting party but my uncle said he could tell by the tracks that the dragon was very young and there were enough of us to kill it. So we left the mammoth trail and started following the dragon’s tracks.

  “I was very excited to go on a dragon hunt, it is a very big honor among my people to kill one.”

  “Are there many dragons in your land, Endra?” Vandarus asked.

  “Yes, but they are all of the white variety, though I have heard of the odd black one passing.”

  Vandarus elbowed Rufio and grinned like a school boy. “I love tales about dragons.” Endra stared at them momentarily surprised by the young man’s excitement.

  “Anyway, later that afternoon we came across some strange tracks in the snow. The men talked it over and decided the tracks were from a horse, the odd thing was the snow and ice was melted around the outside of the tracks. It put us on our guard, very few in our land ride horses or even own one and none of the elders could figure out what caused the snow to melt.

  “We followed the dragon tracks for two more days, the horse tracks paralleled us the whole time yet we never saw anyone.

  “On the third day we found the beast’s lair, a large ice cave. Before we could make a plan on how to flush it out, the dragon emerged from its cave. It was a young male. It was larger than my uncle had thought, at least twenty-five or thirty feet long.

  “The thing attacked and killed three of us with its tail and claws before we could even ready our weapons. I was afraid. I had never been that close to a living dragon before. I found my courage and hurled a spear, striking the beast in the chest. The dragon seemed unhurt by my spear or the arrows shot into it by the other hunters. Our attacks only infuriated the beast. I saw my father die as the monster leaped on him and ripped him apart with its great claws. As I ran over to where he lay dead, the dragon whipped its scaly tail around and grazed my head, knocking me down. I tried to shake off the blow but I was dazed, all I could do was roll around in the bloody snow trying to get back on my feet and clear my head.”

  Endra realized her voice had begun to sound as if she was pleading as the memory of her father had found its way to the surface of her thoughts. She took a breath and tried to relax and go on.

  “When I got back up, I saw it was using its icy breath on my uncle. White dragons can freeze the very air with their cold exhalations. My uncle, the best hunter in our village, fell to the ground dead, incased in the dragon’s bitter ice. I looked around for help but no one was left alive but me.

  “As the monster turned toward me, baring its dagger-like fangs and clawing at the ground, I lost my courage. I began to back away as fast as I could. That’s whe
n I saw him, the dragon did too.

  “He was on the most frightening horse I ever saw. It was black and huge, when it whinnied I could see its teeth had been filed into points. I swear by the Gods its eyes glowed with a faint red light. Every time the animal’s hooves struck the frozen ground flames appeared around them, making the snow hiss. As it came closer, I could smell the stench of carrion. As terrifying as the horse was, the man himself was more so.

  “He was covered in black armor from head to toe, only his great biceps and shoulders were bare. A dark helmet covered his entire face, it was crested with some kind of hair and had bull horns on the sides and through the helmet’s eye slits I saw only darkness.

  “He had a huge sword strapped to his side, the pommel was made from the skull of an infant with dark hair still hanging from its scalp. He slid from the horse easily and as gracefully as if he wore no armor at all. He was tall taller than you, Toran.”

  “Damn, was it a giant? I have yet to see a man taller than me.”

  K’xarr just looked at him. “Fine, I’ll be quiet,” Cromwell said frowning.

  Endra continued. “As he came towards the dragon he drew his great sword. The blade was black and I felt ill when I looked at it. He rammed the infernal blade into the ground and stalked toward the dragon unarmed. I was frozen with fear but could not look away.

  “The dragon turned away from me and looked at the man walking through the snow, and I swear it started to back up. By the old Gods, the beast seemed to be afraid of the man approaching it.

  “Instinct must have overcome its fear, because the dragon lunged at the huge man, razor-sharp teeth bared, claws ready to shred his foe.

  “The man caught the dragon by the neck midway through its attack. The muscles in his massive arms tightened, and I saw his fingers plunge through the dragon’s scales into the muscle of its neck. I thought I must be dreaming, he was strangling the beast; this was not a man. No human has ever had strength like that.

  “He pulled the beast’s head down and wrapped his massive arms around the dragon’s neck and pulled until I heard its bones break.

  “He watched as the dragon rolled onto its back, thrashing around in its death throes. I couldn’t run or speak as he walked over to where I stood. He spoke, I only remember a little of what he said.”

  Endra closed her eyes as she recalled his words. “I have searched the world over for one that has the strength to endure. You, Daughter of the White Waste, are that one. Your beauty and grace will serve me well. That is what I will call you. Grace, the name suits you well.”

  “He picked me up and carried me into the ice cave. I tried to struggle but it was no use, his grip was like iron.

  “The man made a fire by simply touching his hand onto the cave floor. He bid me sit by the magical blaze. I did as I was told, too afraid not to obey.

  “The cave grew very warm and I started to become light headed. I don’t know if it was the blow from the dragon’s tail or some kind of spell he cast on me. I remember him removing my armor and my clothing. He laid me down on my furs naked, but I did not feel the cold. It was as if I was falling asleep.

  “He removed his armor and helmet, I could see his face, he had long thick black hair and he was handsome, not the monster I had imagined … but his eyes. They were so dark, I could sense something terrible and wicked behind his black eyes. Even when he smiled, I could sense the hostility inside him.”

  Endra’s face grew red with embarrassment, but she had gone this far with the story she would finish it. “He was immense all over, and I was frightened yet I could not move he took me then.

  “I remember little of it, just the screaming and the pain. I was a virgin and it was my first time with a man … or whatever it was.

  “I awoke later to find him back in his armor and astride the evil horse. He said, ‘Fair thee well, Grace, blood of my blood. We are bonded forever now, girl, hold your head high and walk with pride for I have chosen you above all other women of this world.’

  “He rode away to the south and the cave grew cold. I mourned my father and uncle and the men from my village. I placed their bodies in the ice cave and covered them the best I could.

  “It took a week to return home. I was near frozen to death and half-starved. I wanted desperately to find my mother and tell her what happened and find comfort from her for all that I had lost, but that was not to be.

  “My village had been burned to the ground and everyone in it put to the sword or burned alive. The men, the women, and children all dead, even our animals had been killed. The only tracks I found were from a horse and the snow was melted around them. It was him; he had come to my village and killed everyone. I was crazed with grief. I sat in the ruins of the village for two days before I could think again.

  “I took what food and supplies as I could find and headed south. I vowed I would find a way to take revenge on the dark rider.”

  K’xarr was on one knee, leaning on his sword, staring into the fire. He looked up at the woman, his thoughts a secret. “Where did the children come from? Or need I ask?”

  Endra had not wanted to relive this part of her life, it had been terrible and had almost killed her, but the tale just flowed from her like water from a burst dam. For so long she had held it inside, trying to make it go away because there was no one to give it to. Now she had to let it all go.

  “I walked south to the sea then followed the coast west. Though the cold and snow I wept for my lost life. I was just a girl. I had no one and nowhere to go. I was not the warrior you see before you now, I was just a young girl lost and alone.

  “It was not many weeks until I knew I was with child. The thought scared me, I knew nothing of children. I was in a hostile land, hardly keeping myself alive. I had no Idea how I would keep a child from dying in that cold wasteland. Still, I moved on. I thought I had plenty of time until the child was to be born and I could decide what I should do. Maybe I could find someone to help me. I was wrong.”

  She looked at the children. They had fallen asleep near the fire. “I gave birth to all three of them alone in an abandoned fishing hut three months after the man had lain with me.”

  “It was a very dark night, a cold rain fell and the pain…” Endra paused and looked into the fire. “I will never forget it.”

  She met K’xarr’s eyes. “That was when I found my blood had turned black. I thought I was diseased and going to die. I stayed in that stinking hut until I saw that the babes were going to survive and I realized I was not sick. Then I packed the three of them up and continued west along the coast.”

  Endra’s eyes glistened with tears in the firelight. She told herself she would not let herself cry in front of these men. “I was little more than a girl and alone with three babies to protect and as you know the Harsh Coast is a hard place for a warrior, let alone my tiny new family.

  “The weather, the land, day after day, night after night, I just kept moving on. I thought for sure we would be killed or die of starvation. There were so many nights when I fell asleep that I didn’t think I would wake the next morning, but I was a mother and if I died the children would have died.

  “It took me almost a year to reach Tara. A priest took us in and we stayed at the church. We were fed and cared for until I cut my hand one night at dinner and a priest saw my blood. I was imprisoned and the children taken from me with no explanation.

  “I rotted in that filthy cell for almost two years, not even getting to see my children. Not knowing if they were dead or alive.

  “Then one day the priest came and I was taken in chains to a ship, the children were already on board. The ship sailed to the south, they said we were to be taken to the Kingdom of Tyro to see their Pope that lived in a great church in the city of Asqutania.

  “We landed in the Celonian port of Inargo for supplies, with a bit of luck I escaped, killed the priest, and took my children. I fought my way off the docks and ran.

  “We have been running ever since, and you sho
uld know this is not the first time I have been attacked by Hands. They have been hunting me for a long time now. It’s hard not to be seen when you travel with three small children. So I have had to become good with a sword just to survive.”

  Siro held his chin in his hand. “I don’t understand something, how did the children survive when born at only three months? Nine is what it takes to give birth to a healthy babe.”

  Endra shrugged. “I do not know, perhaps it’s the blood.”

  “They have the black blood to then?” the healer asked.

  “All I know is they were well developed and healthy when they came out. They have never been sick and have always seemed very smart for their age.” Endra looked at K’xarr. “And they have been black blooded since the day they were born.”

  Her insinuation was not lost on the Camiran. “The man that raped you, have you seen him again?” K’xarr asked.

  “Never again, if I do I will do my best to kill him.”

  Cromwell chuckled. “I think that a man that choked a dragon to death would be a little hard for a girly like you to kill.”

  “I said I would try to kill him you, Toran ass, I know he will kill me, it’s the principle of the thing.”

  Cromwell nodded his agreement understanding exactly what she meant. Toran’s knew a lot about the principle of a thing.

  K’xarr saw the lost girl was gone now and the warrior had returned. “It is quite a story. I salute you, you’re a strong woman Endra Korlest, and you were right, your story didn’t help us much but I thank you for telling the tale. We will return to our camp now as I promised, we have much to discuss among ourselves. I wish you luck on you quest. If you are attacked again, we are camped not far to the west.”