Chronicles of Den'dra: A land on Fire

by Spencer Johnson

  “What is that?!” A bright ball of light appeared in the air above the two horsemen illuminating the forest. Urake dropped into the grass and disappeared while the deer bounded out and ran into the woods on the other side of the road startling the horses.

  “Put that thing away! You know what happened to the last group out here. Crein just about had a fit when he heard how they had all died.”

  “I don’t get what the big deal with this girl is. Seems kind of strange that he would want her dead so much, even if she is the Princess. It almost seems personal.”

  “You don’t know then?”

  “Know what?”

  “He was part of the group that was tasked with eliminating the Safrym family. If he had done what Yer’entho had demanded, then we wouldn’t be out here now. It is kind of personal.” This was all that Urake could take. He had just acquired a new link in the investigation that he had devoted his life to. He had a new name. These Shadow Cultists were no longer useful to him. They would undoubtedly end their own lives before giving up the location of where this Crein was hiding so Urake intended to gain what little satisfaction that could be gained before the cultists had a chance of cheating him.

  “Uraken of house Safrym lives!” Urake fired an arrow into the shoulder of one of the surprised horsemen, but a flash of light enveloped him before he could fire a second arrow. It faded a moment later; surprisingly, it had no effect on Urake’s vision. He saw the last mounted horseman looking surprised before he loosed the next shaft. The aim was true and the arrow pierced the man’s heart. Surprise, pain and confusion rioted on the cultist’s face until death alleviate his suffering and he fell to the ground.

  Feeling his mental defenses tested, Urake stepped around the nervous horses and found the first man lying on the ground. He stretched a hand towards Urake and the sensations intensified. Suddenly Ice Heart in Urake’s hand felt cool and the man on the ground recoiled in terror.

  “Who are you?” Fear and pain was evident in the man’s contorted features.

  “I already said. The last son of Safrym. Better known as the Asgare.”

  “No! We killed them all…”

  “Missed two.” The work of death was finished quickly and the dead cultists were disposed of in a shallow grave a small distance away from the road. The horses had been tied to a tree so after the blood had been cleaned off the road and the buck recovered, Urake rode one while leading the other though the woods.

  These two men had been looking for the Princess. One had been a telepath. Curiously the hand that he had focused his attack through was nearly frozen solid. The other’s ability was not necessarily dangerous in and of itself, but posed a significant risk if someone else were to attack the blinded target. Together, the two of them would have had little difficulty in killing a dozen armed men if the need had arisen. Urake had the advantage of surprise, but that didn’t explain why either of the men’s attacks had faltered. Urake had been blinded and preparing to fire in the occultist's direction when the wall of light had suddenly been broken. By the man’s face, it had come as a surprise.

  The telepath’s attack would have given him a headache for hours if it had persisted, but he had apparently suffered some sort of backlash. Urake recalled the cool sensation he had felt from Ice Heart just before the man had recoiled. Now that he was able to think about it, the man’s last words haunted him. We killed them all… The man was old enough to have been a part of the massacre. One more murderer knocked off the list.

  Despite the fact that it was getting light by the time that Urake returned to the camp, he nearly managed to sneak back in. The soldier that challenged him nearly fell over backwards when he recognized the black cloaked figure.

  “Sorry Sir. Didn’t know that you were out.” The sentry appeared relieved when Urake simply nodded to him before continuing on his way. The horses were dropped off at the stables while Urake carried the buck on to the kitchens. The cooks that had been busy through the night were still at work. A few looked downcast at the appearance of more work, but they set to dressing the meat quickly. After leaving a few instructions with the head cook, Urake left for his room. Emeck met him inside and began explaining the progress he had made in his search.

  “Em’risi was up so I observed her to see if I could find a way that she was different. I couldn’t sense anything so I met her on a walk. She agreed to help us, but only if you will talk to her later.”

  “What about?”

  “I'm not sure.”

  “I guess that I will find out in a bit.” Urake shook the beaded moisture of his cloak and hung it by the door to dry. The humid cave air didn’t bode well and he knew that Tusul would be outraged at the poor care his cloak was receiving.

  “Oh, one other thing. I sensed Skeln again. Not much, just a sense of something feeling smooth and round. Like a rock. It was only a flicker and I couldn’t tell where he was.”

  “Smooth and round… You have been sensing him a lot in the last few days.”

  “Just three or four times. Nothing much longer than a split second.”

  “But still, you might be able to get a better sense soon. You found me quickly enough.”

  “You are different. When you hide your mind, it is only like it gets dimmer. Almost gone, but there is always a flicker left. When Skeln hides, he just disappears. Gone, yet everywhere at once. I think I can feel him wherever I focus. If I focus right here in this room, I can sense a faint essence just like if I try focusing on the other side of the Garoche. It’s impossible to narrow down a field like that.”

  “It suddenly makes me feel less safe knowing that I'm so easy to find.” Urake joked lightly.

  “Not really. It’s only because I know who you are and have been around you so much. I think that the one that found us in the Draeld knew you somehow.”

  “Aside from Brest, there was only one other telepath that ever connected with me. I relocated him, but he thought that he was better off on his own and I lost track of him. Reigns must have picked him up along the way.”

  “From what I could tell, he was pretty strong. A shame really.”

  “He was good except he was also reckless. Caught me when I was distracted for a moment. I blocked him out fast enough, but he had already gotten a partial fix.”

  “I think Em’risi is looking for you. She has been wandering around the cave getting lost for the last few minutes.” Emeck changed the topic and had a distant expression while he observed the Princess.

  “I had best not keep her highness waiting.” Urake smiled and left the room. It didn’t take him long to find the Princess wandering through a nearby storage section of the cave.

  “Urake, wonderful to see you again. Balinor tells me that you are leaving us.” Em’risi didn’t waste time on small talk but came directly to the point.

  “I am, not to abandon you that is. I can just be more helpful somewhere else for the time being.”

  “Something about you disturbed him greatly. You have power. I can see that, but there is something else about you that I can’t quite see.” Em’risi lapsed into silence as she looked through him. Her gaze seemed focused on the cave walls behind him.

  “Speaking of him, where is he?”

  “Probably keeping an eye on my empty chambers. He is sure to be angry when he finds me missing. Your leaving doesn’t have anything to do with your son?” Em’risi was uncomfortably perceptive.

  “It does have something to do with my son; although, not entirely.”

  “Your secrets are your own to keep. Balinor tells me that we are to move south to Keom. Something tells me that he would never retreat unless it was the last resort. How bad is it really? He tells me that we are in a powerful position and that we will soon be able to destroy the usurper, but he lies… This is the reason that I am here to speak to you without Balinor at my side.”

  “You are quite perceptive. I'm sure that you will give Balinor all manner of trouble. He is only trying to protect you, but he is finding
that it was a bigger task than he had anticipated.”

  “The war council, you were there.” It wasn’t quite a question or a statement. Somewhere in between.

  “I was.”

  “I'm not sure how Balinor let you in. He has nothing good to say about you.”

  “Not terribly surprising. He didn’t have much of a choice about my presence in the council. You should have been there. He may never forgive me but I will tell you this. The number of men loyal to you is a fraction of the men that Reigns commands. Balinor is retreating to Keom in the hopes that the forces he leaves in the forest will slow Reigns’ advance enough that the Sea Fort can be rebuilt and the river can be held. I am leaving to work behind the enemy lines.” Urake briefly explained the situation while Em’risi listened.

  “Very well. Thank you for telling me the truth. I will speak with Balinor and explain that I am not to be underestimated.” Em’risi lifted her torch and moved past Urake.

  “Princess.”

  “Yes?”

  “The secret is the torch holders on the wall. They all lean in the direction of the central passage.” Em’risi glanced at the torch holder on the wall next to her and moved in the direction opposite her original.

  “I believe that you wanted help finding recruits for your team?” Em’risi spoke over her shoulder at Urake.

  “Preferably Gifted individuals.” Urake easily caught up with the Princess a moment later.

  “I can see if people are Gifted and I think that I can even get an idea what their Gifts are. I'm not sure about you. Your energy is like staring into an endless pool of motionless dark water. Emeck is surrounded in strands of energy that connect with all who pass near him. The assassin that called fire was different. His energy shimmered like the horizon on a hot day. Aleest is similar to Emeck, but not as strong and he can only connect with animals.”

  “That would explain why Emeck and Aleest are able to connect so easily.”

  “He intends to go with you. I can’t convince him otherwise.” Her comment gave Urake pause for a moment. The ability to communicate with animals was useful in some situations yet Aleest was not built for what would be expected of him if he were to come.

  “I plan on going through the Garoche Heights. I don’t think he could handle it.” Urake knew that Aleest was younger than Emeck and as thin as sapling. It would be cold in the Heights and Urake wanted people that wouldn’t slow him down.

  “The Heights?” Em’risi turned and searched his face a second. “I would rather he didn’t go, but he would never forgive me if I restrained him. If you don’t take him, he will follow you regardless.”

  “I will see if I can dissuade him.”

  “Thank you although I doubt that he can be dissuaded. I have seen him force a balky mule to walk backwards through a door it had refused to pass. All he did was give it a look.” The two of them arrived in the mess area just as the soldiers began showing up for their morning rations.

  “That one. His energy burns brighter than the assassin’s did. His friends tell me that his father was a fisherman but that he can’t stand being on water so he turned to being a trapper before being drafted into the army.” Em’risi pointed to an average looking soldier with bulging muscles visible under his uniform.

  “He will be useful if he agrees to come with me.” Urake appraised the man who seemed to feel eyes on him. He looked up and scrutinized the two people that stood on the far side of the room watching him.

  “There is the other one now. His energy seems to infuse those around him. I think that he could be a healer if he learns how to control the effect.” Em’risi pointed to another individual with fairly good looks chatting up the cook’s assistant that was spooning out portions. Urake chuckled as he pocketed a couple extra pieces of cheese while the assistant was laughing over some joke.

  “Let me guess. He was caught stealing and offered the choice of having three fingers cut off or joining the army.” Urake continued watching as the man exchanged a piece of the cheese with someone else for an extra bowl of hot soup. He then carried the steaming soup to a hulking soldier that Urake had seen out on sentry duty last night. It didn’t take much to piece together that he was trying to befriend someone who would be able to protect him from a couple morose looking soldiers on the other side of the room.

  “I thought that Emeck was the telepath. That is precisely why he is here. I was told that those two soldiers over there are upset because he reported them for harassing a village girl.”

  “A gallant thief with brains. I like him. Reminds me of myself when I was his age.”

  “Indeed. Almost romantic. If you have what you need, I must speak with Balinor.” Em’risi accepted Urake’s nod of agreement with a wan smile.

  “I pity the man.”

  “As you should.” Em’risi was serious now. She moved off and Urake watched as the men fell silent and parted for her to pass through. Urake waited until she had left before approaching the thief busy befriending the soldier happily slurping the second bowl of soup. The thief stopped mid compliment when he recognized his visitor.

  “I didn’t do anything. Whatever they told you is a lie.” He motioned towards the three men that were standing by the door.

  “Who said that they told me anything?”

  “No one. Why else would you be talking to me?”

  “I'm just a little curious, what is your name?” Urake took the seat that a soldier conveniently vacated across from the thief.

  “What is this about?” The big soldier queried impatiently.

  “Nothing of concern to you. I see that your soup is nearly finished. Perhaps you have something else to do right now.” Urake’s pointed hint was taken and the soldier lost his courage and suddenly mentioned something that he did indeed recall needing to be some other place.

  “My name is my own but your name is the Asgare. I would rather not share my name with an assassin.”

  “I may be an assassin but you are a thief. I think that you are in no place to judge. What were you planning on doing with the other two pieces of cheese that you stole? Offer them to your friend tonight on the night guard shift?” The thief paled a shade.

  “What is it that you want?”

  “Your name for starters would be nice. Thief works fine, although… it gets old after a while.”

  “Niman. Are we done now?”

  “No. What if I were to offer you an opportunity to work for me. Would you take it?”

  “What If I said no?” Niman crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

  “Your friend was not so very loyal just now. I tend to think that he would rather not risk getting beat up protecting someone for an extra bowl of soup.”

  “It wouldn’t have come to that. All I need to do is make them think twice.”

  “You can’t always hide in his shadow. Eventually you will be alone and they will have their chance. Two wrist blades can only do so much to three armed men.” Niman uncrossed his arms but not before Urake had seen the telltale forms of the hidden weapons outlined against a tight sleeve.

  “What do you want me to steal?” There was not much in the flat question other than the wording that identified it as such.

  “I didn’t ask you to steal anything. I just want you to work for me.”

  “I'm not going to make any decision until you tell me what you want me to do.”

  “All right, that is fair enough. I am putting together a group of Gifted individuals that will assist me in the war. We will be traveling fast and light doing damage behind enemy lines. I can’t guarantee safety.”

  “Then you should be asking someone else. I'm obviously not Gifted.”

  “The Princess says that you are, plus I can use a thief that feels comfortable in the city.”

  “The Princess thinks I'm Gifted?” There was a little fear in Niman’s eyes for the first time in the exchange.

  “Relax Niman, she is Gifted also. It’s how she knew.” Urake watched Niman try to think thro
ugh what he had just been told. He was aware that he had just turned the man’s world upside down.

  “If you are the Asgare, don’t you plan on killing me if I'm Gifted?” Niman looked ready to bolt for the door should Urake make any sudden moves.

  “I only kill the ones that deserve to die.”

  “You put me in a pretty situation here didn’t you… On the one hand, I can turn you down and spend the rest of my probably few remaining days looking over my shoulder. Or I could accept your proposal and die being chased by an enemy army. Which one would let me live the longest?” Niman cocked his head as he watched Urake answer.

  “Probably the first option. Reigns doesn’t like to be mocked.”

  “You are honest, I’ll give you that. When do you want me ready by?”

  “Tomorrow morning first light, meet me at the cave entrance. Pack warm and one other thing, watch your back until then.”

  “I will.” Urake left the seat and moved towards the first man that Em’risi had pointed out.

  “What did you and the Princess want?” Surprisingly, the man initiated the conversation before Urake had a chance to sit down.

  “She was merely pointing you out to me. What I want to know is your name.”

  “Arken. I don’t got nothing to hide.”

  “That is good. I hear that your father was a fisherman, but that you chose not to follow in his footsteps?” Urake decided to see how the man reacted with some small talk. He had a distinctive accent that would need some work if he wanted to blend into a city.

  “Nothing secret about that. Laughing stalk of the village because I puke up my guts every time I get in a boat. What were you doing with Niman?” Urake smiled a little. He had an accent but his speech patterns weren’t terribly uncommon. In a pinch he could pass off as a city dweller, especially if he stuck to the poorer districts. The lower echelons of society in cities like Shienhin and The Forks tended to speak much the same way.

  “I hired him to fill a position in my team. I want to extend the same offer to you.”

  “He talks too much.”

  “He does talk a lot. Some people are gifted that way. Em’risi mentioned that you are Gifted in a different way.” Urake noted the clenched fists and a small plume of smoke that rose from the table under his fist. Arken didn’t answer except for the glower he sent at Urake.