Chronicles of Den’dra: A Land on Fire
Spencer Johnson
Published by Spencer Johnson at Amazon.com
Copyright 2014 Spencer Johnson
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Amazon Edition, License Notes
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This is a work of fiction. As such, any resemblance to persons, living or dead, real events, locations, or organizations is purely coincidental and unintentional.
Other titles by the same author available on Amazon.com
Fate’s Web
Child of Time
Chronicles of Den’dra:
A Land Torn (Book 1)
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Rebellion
Chapter Two: Escape
Chapter Three: Manipulation
Chapter Four: Discovery
Chapter Five: Intrigue
Chapter Six: Departure
Chapter Seven: Connections
Chapter Eight: Confrontations
Chapter Nine: Intentions
Chapter Ten: Plans
Chapter Eleven: Survival
Chapter Twelve: Preparation
Chapter Thirteen: Tragedy
Chapter Fourteen: Misdirection
Chapter Fifteen: Authority
Chapter Sixteen: Choices
Chapter Seventeen: Rescue
Chapter Eighteen: Misfortune
Chapter Nineteen: Learning
Chapter Twenty: Threads
Chapter Twenty-One: Fulfilment
Chapter Twenty-Two: Loss
Resources and Translations
Chapter One: Rebellion
Sir Balinor had been silent for the last couple hours. Em’risi periodically checked on him as they rode. His lights were still flaring in swirls of discordant colors, but they had calmed down considerably. Once they had loaded the knight on his horse, both Emeck and Urake had mounted the horses that Aleest had recalled for them. The tamer still giggled every now and then, somehow invoking a smile then a scowl from Emeck. It seemed that the telepath was particularly sensitive to the tamer’s emotion.
It was a quiet party of horsemen as each was lost in their own thoughts. The only sounds were those of the horse’s iron shoes striking the hardened earth and the clank of Balinor’s armor. The night was moderately lit with the two moons, but they were still low on the horizon causing anything that stood more than a couple feet off the ground to cast incredible shadows. The northlands were still farm fields with rock fences dividing the property lines. It was probably well past midnight.
Em’risi was left to think about the events of the last few hours in peace. She was feeling exhausted both emotionally and physically. As much as she would have liked to join Balinor in slumbering, her mind refused to be stilled. Her father, the King, had just died leaving her to become the ruling monarch. The High Chancellor would have made her into his puppet like he had her father if given the chance. Sir Balinor, acting on her father’s last wishes, had spirited her out of the castle. She had brought a childhood friend along for more than one reason. He was rather simple sounding when speaking with strangers and wouldn’t have lasted long in the court. Without her there to protect him, he would have betrayed himself as Gifted eventually. Another reason was that he knew that she was also Gifted. The primary reason was that he was a friend. She had few friends that she knew she could trust implicitly and he was one of them. Despite his blunt questions and uncomprehending demeanor, he really was rather intelligent. He just liked communicating with animals more than he like speaking with people.
After leaving the city, they had been set on by a band of black robed Gifted assassins. Urake had appeared at the last moment and with Emeck’s help had saved the three of them. Both he and Emeck were mysterious individuals although she could tell that they meant her no harm. This was tested when Urake had set on Balinor with sword in hand. The fight had been brief with the knight unconscious on the ground. One of the assassin's psionic attacks had unbalanced his mind making him act irrationally. The knight was now recovering on his horse. Em’risi was about to fall asleep in her saddle when she glanced back over her shoulder and noticed that Balinor’s lights had finally settled into their normal rhythmic pulse. He should be waking soon. She cringed as she thought of the headache he would be facing. Urake had spared him little in the fight.
“Ohhaaa… What…? Why am I tied up?” As if on cue, Balinor stirred himself with a groan and tested the strength of the cords that bound him to the saddle.
“Relax. No one was trying to restrain you. We needed to make sure that you wouldn’t fall out of the saddle.” Urake reined his horse back and fell into step with Balinor. The knight was still blearily squinting at his surroundings. He scrutinized Urake for a few moments before haltingly continuing.
“That is… All I remember is that we were attacked then there was only one more and… Where is the Pr… my daughter? Who are you?” Balinor shook his head trying to think through the fog that muffled his senses. The haze was clearing slowly and he realized that was addressing a stranger.
“One at a time. The Princess is all right. We arrived just in time to save you.” Urake explained.
“You didn’t answer my question. Who are you?” Balinor managed to work one hand free and rubbed the side of his head. “What happened to my helm?”
“It was damaged in the fight. The reason that you were knocked out.”
“I won’t ask again. Who are you?!” Balinor flinched as his demand elicited a sharp pain in his head. Closing his eyes, he waited for the throbbing to subside a little.
“You should know. You are the one that wanted to hire me. I’m the Asgare.” The name did more to clear Balinor’s head than a bucket of cold water to the face could have. His hand instinctively slid to his side where he found his great sword was still hanging. Pulling a small knife out of his gauntlet he was in short order unbound and glaring.
“Why are you here? You tried to kill Illiad and failed. Why would you help his daughter?”
“Not this again… Em’risi and I went over this already. The incident with Illiad was an accident. If I had wanted him dead, I had more than ample opportunity. I have my reason for being here and I'm not telling you any of them. At least not right now. There are other things that you should be worrying about right now. We have been traveling most the night. Daylight is only a few hours off. Em’risi is exhausted and I don’t know where we are supposed to be heading. We need to get to the tree line before morning.” Urake had the tone of one being inconvenienced by having to explain. Despite that, he was relieved that the knight didn’t remember the details of the fight earlier. In fact he could barely recall the fight with the assassins.
“I will say what we need to do! Em’risi, are you unharmed?” Balinor scanned the rest of the party until he had located the Princess. She nodded in reply yet he could see that Urake spoke the truth.
“I will not hide in the woods like some common bandit although we do need to rest.” Balinor directed his comment towards Urake, but he wasn’t rewarded with the expected flinch his insult had intended.
“Common or noble, bandit or knight, the Shadow Order isn’t likely to give up on the Princess. Our best chance is to hide and rest for the day and continue at night.�
�� Urake had been called far worse in his life so he felt no need to respond to an insult from someone that knew nothing.
“I am in command. We will do as I say.”
“As you wish.” Urake nodded in acquiescence.
“Make for the tree line. We require rest.” Balinor grudgingly followed Urake’s advice by pulling his horse towards the Garoche Mountains and the forests along their flanks. Urake slowed until he was even with Emeck’s horse at the tail of the line.
“Why did you submit to Balinor? You could have fought him again.” Emeck asked quietly when he was sure Balinor was out of earshot.
“I could have, but he doesn’t remember me beating him last time. I would rather he didn’t hate me more than he already does. Knowing when not to fight is often more valuable than knowing how to fight. As far as submitting to him? It was easier than trying to argue him into agreeing to rest. His kind tends to disagree with anything that anyone else suggests unless he can take credit for it. It is easier this way. We are going to have to let him think that he is in charge for now.” Urake casually sat his horse as he kept a wary eye on the dim surroundings.
“What about Em’risi?” Emeck looked at the cloaked figure slumped in the saddle ahead of them.
“She is still in shock. Her father just died and that doesn’t seem to have taken its full toll yet. It’s likely to be a couple days before she can think clearly. Until then, Balinor is in charge. He will probably be in charge for a while after Em’risi come to her senses anyways. I still don’t know if she has the kind of personality that it will take to control Balinor. Have you sensed anymore from Skeln?”
“No I haven’t. It was just that one time. It is hard to explain, but I sensed pain… Pain and anger. I also felt like I was sensing an echo somewhere else. Almost like I was feeling two people.” Emeck stopped when he saw Balinor wheel back.
“You said that the Shadow Order was responsible for the attack. Who are they?” Balinor inquired.
“A group that for some reason wants you dead.” Urake blandly answered and watched the flash of frustrated annoyance on Balinor’s face.
“No, I mean who are they?”
“There is a lot that you don’t know that you should.”
“Are you going to tell me what I want or not?” Urake smiled wryly as Balinor’s hand settled on his sword pommel.
“The Shadow Order is a group of Gifted individuals that I’ve been hunting for years. They used to answer to a dark elf, but now it seems they answer to Reigns. You shouldn’t be surprised considering that Reigns is half elf. It stands to reason that he is half dark elf.”
“Gifted? It doesn’t make sense. Why would they work for Reigns? What’s special about a dark elf?”
“I'm not sure why they would answer to Reigns. As far as I know, the only difference between light and dark elves is their skin color, mentality, and their choice of alliance during the Millennium Wars.” Urake shrugged before ducking under a limb as they entered the woods. Balinor was distracted from pursuing his interrogation as he looked for a campsite. They found one inside a clump of trees that Urake happened to ride towards. The pines circled around a patch of dry needles providing shelter from the wind and prying eyes. Balinor decreed that a fire was unsafe so they would have to make do without. This drew some scowls from Emeck until a glance from Urake distracted him.
“To bad that pyromancer wasn’t more cooperative. I was sort of looking forward to some warm food.” Urake joked as he pulled out some hard bread and cheese out of his pack. His belt knife served to carve thin slices of the strongly flavored cheese to go with the bread. He had only taken a few bites when he realized that Balinor was eyeing him enviously. The knight was able to command armies and devise an escape from Shienhin with the Princess, but in all his preparations, he had forgotten to bring food. Fortunately, Turana had packed enough to feed a small army. Balinor chivalrously made sure that the Princess had food before partaking himself. Emeck made sure that Aleest was given food when he noticed the youth had been overlooked.
When they finished eating, Urake volunteered to take the first watch. The rest of the party quickly collapsed into exhausted slumber. Within the span of a few minutes, Urake was alone in the night except for the occasional nicker from the horse or Balinor’s snoring. No one woke until well after the sun had risen high above the horizon. Urake sat next to the campsite watching the hillside below and the glancing up the slope every now and then. On his lap was Ice Heart and his fingers lazily traced the designs that were engraved along the length of the blade. If twisted in the right light, the runes and frost engravings seemed to dance with their own light.
“Sorry, I should have taken a shift.” Emeck apologized as he rubbed the sleep grime out of his eyes.
“Don’t be sorry. You looked like you needed the sleep more than me.” Urake stretched and stood up. “I will probably feel it later, but I actually feel fine right now. A bit hungry, but awake nonetheless.”
“Thanks for letting me sleep, but I can take the watch if you would like to get some rest now.” Emeck felt a little guilty and tried to make it up. He knew that Urake had been pushing just as hard as he had since they had left Warton.
“I'm all right although thanks for the offer. I think that I will see if I can rustle up some game.” Urake sheathed Ice Heart and pulled the bow off his shoulder. The string gave a satisfying twang when he pulled it.
“Balinor probably won’t let us cook it.” Emeck’s logic gave Urake pause a moment.
“That tin can won’t have any say in the matter. I can cook it over a smokeless fire before I bring it back. Contact me if anything come up. I will be back shortly.” Urake quietly stepped past Balinor who was still snoring, oblivious to the new day. Em’risi was under both the knight’s and her own cloak in a peaceful slumber.
***
Torroth paced the cell that Inadar and he were confined to. The torch had burned low and it was almost time for one of the guards to appear and replace it. It was also nearly time for the army healer to show up again. He paused his pacing and glanced back over at the straw tick where Inadar lay. She had been unconscious for the last few days.
Inadar’s condition baffled the man. The healer was far more skilled at dealing with open wounds caused by training accidents. He had initially thought that it was due to a bite from some venomous creature, either insect or reptilian, but a search had failed to uncover any marks inherent to such a bite. She had neither worsened nor improved since Torroth had discovered her on waking one morning. She had been unresponsive to any attempts at resuscitation. Her vital signs hadn’t decayed and no physical sign could be found that might account for the condition. She was neither hot nor cold so fever was not considered a cause. It was as if she was in a deep slumber and couldn’t be wakened.
Torroth had been feeding her the thin broth that the healer provided. Other than that, there was nothing that he could do. That simple fact was driving him to insanity. The officer that had interrogated them after their capture made frequent appearances and would observe from the other side of the bars set into the door. He had left without saying anything both times, but Torroth thought he had detected worry in his eyes, what could be seen of his eyes in the shifting torch light.
***
Balinor had retained his haughty attitude throughout the remainder of the trip to the hidden base in the western Garoche forest. Urake hadn’t been bothered by the attitude near as much as Emeck had been. Em’risi, after that first night, had been withdrawn for the most part. She did manage to put him on edge. The way that she seemed to stare through him was rather disconcerting. Her crying had been done and now she just seemed to be trying to cope with her new existence.
Aleest was interesting. He preferred the company of the horses to the people; however, he did seem to like Emeck. The two of them could hold conversations that were silent except for the intermittent laughter. Emeck discovered that he was able to share what he sensed with the other telepath and vice vers
a. It seemed that the horses were primitive when it came to their thought but that frequently what they were thinking about the humans was humorous. The fleeting wonder as to why a human would pass by a perfectly good clump of grass without taking a nibble was beyond their comprehension. Aleest’s skill with animals was phenomenal at times. He often called down a passing bird to land on his offered finger or enticed a small critter up to him for a morsel of food. Emeck revealed to Urake that the young man might sound simple when he spoke although that it wasn’t the case when he was not limited to speaking with words. It turned out that he could wax eloquent when he could supplement the communication with images and emotion. Images being one of the things that Emeck found he could read if the other person was a telepath of some skill and opened his mind for communication.
A few days after they had started their journey, they found themselves surrounded by soldiers after they left the flat lands and entered the forest. One word from Balinor and the men had lowered their weapons and escorted the party into the camp. The hour was late when they arrived, but Urake was able to recognize a familiar face in the group of officers that appeared to confer with Balinor before taking the Princess to her quarters for rest.
“Say, I think I know you from someplace.” Urake turned paused in the task of removing the saddle from his horse at the statement. The officer who had apparently been in charge during Balinor’s absence stood pulling on his beard as he contemplated Urake.
“Redzyn?” Urake recognized the old landowner from Yrany, the village that Urake had raised Skeln in.
“Colonel Redzyn. How do I know you…? You bear a striking resemblance to a brewer that I used to know, but he is dead and was probably twenty years older.” Redzyn scowled as he tried to unearth the missing memory.
“I'm sorry to hear that. How did he die if I might ask?” Urake returned to loosening the stubborn strap. His back was to Redzyn so as to hide the odd quirk to the corners of his mouth.
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