Chronicles of Den'dra: A land on Fire

by Spencer Johnson

  “I don’t think he would refer to himself as a pet. More as a companion. I’m not so sure that he doesn’t think of me as a pet.”

  “I think we can go now.” Aleest watched as the last of the dust from the wagon drifted off the road.

  “It looks like it. I have never been in a big city before. I wonder what it will be like.”

  “Trust me when I say you weren’t missing anything. I lived in the castle as a groom and still was expected to lick the floor anytime a noble passed by.” Aleest glared up at the castle in the distance.

  “The biggest town I have been in is Warton. I was originally headed for The Forks, but kind of got side tracked. Ended going through the Draeld.”

  “Really? I always heard stories about how dangerous the Draeld is. I always thought it would be a wonderful place to live with so many animals around.”

  “Not really. It is cold and foggy most the time, unless it is burning hot and humid. There are quite a few animals, but fortunately they kept their distance.” Cero recalled the nerve wracking experiences that mentioning the Draeld had awakened.

  “I suppose there is the swamp revenants also.”

  “The what?” Cero almost tripped when he took his eyes off the rutted road.

  “The swamp revenants. The people in the lower city talk about the spirits of those lost in the Draeld that are doomed to perpetually wander the swamps. No one that sees them lives to tell the tale.”

  “Then how did you hear about them? If no one lived to tell the tale then no one should have told you about them.” Aleest scowled over Cero’s logic a moment before responding.

  “I know because Emeck told me that he and Urake saw them. He said that for some reason it couldn’t see them. Did you see them?”

  “Peren did say that someone else was in the swamp that was able to veil themselves from their sight.” Cero was distracted enough that he mused aloud.

  “You spoke with a swamp revenant?” Aleest was astonished at the revelation.

  “They aren’t revenants. Just people trying to stay hidden. I stumbled across their village and stayed a few days.”

  “Emeck said it looked like a shadow person. How do they do that?”

  “They are Gifted. They called themselves shadow walkers. They thought that I was like them for some reason, but I can’t do what they could.” Cero smiled slightly as he recalled how simple life had been in Skelceri. Summer crops and a fall harvest, then trapping and hobbies for the winter. Those tasked with shadow walking had lived a little bit more complicated lives. Even then, life there was far simpler than that of being the adopted son of a noble lord from a landless house, let alone being what some called a Dragon Lord.

  “What can you do? I mean, you hatched Bani so you must be Gifted and Kosovo sensed something from you.”

  “I don’t really know for sure. I can speak with Bani in my head. I seem to be immune to cold. Any animal that I feel threatened by is scared of me. Peren claimed that I was shadow walking or something like that. I can make people tell the truth by looking at them and I bleed blue blood. Not to mention that Emeck says that when I want to I can hide my mind better than anyone he has ever seen.”

  “That is a lot actually. All I can do is talk with animals.”

  “Isn’t that similar to what Emeck can do?”

  “Sort of except a little different. People are not quite the same. I can speak with Emeck well enough, but other people are little more than a vague jumble of emotion and color if I try hard enough. Em’risi could actually see people’s emotions and thoughts as visible colors. That reminds me. You were glowing slightly when you collapsed in the tunnel. What happened?”

  “I don’t know, but I think I was in the middle of a battle. There were dwarves and fire everywhere. All I remember is glimpses of random things. There were hammers and someone wearing a white robe with a red sash. In a cave I think.”

  “You were fighting dwarves?” Aleest looked fascinated by the story.

  “I wasn’t fighting dwarves, but then again I suppose I was. I don’t know anymore. They saved me. I remember falling for what felt like forever, then the next thing I remember was waking up inside a cell. They were trying to protect me from other dwarves that they called rebels. I am not sure what happened in the cave. It could have been a dream or something else for all I know.”

  “You met real live dwarves? That is awesome. How tall were they?”

  “Don’t go there. One got real upset when I asked why he was so short.” Cero smiled when he remembered Taric’s reaction to the question.

  “That is incredible. How did you end up in the Garoche with a dragon egg?”

  “There was a big battle right after I woke up. During the battle I got hidden in a closet before the good dwarves had to retreat. It turned out that the closet was a staircase that led to the surface. From there I fell off a cliff, then stumbled across the dragon bones.”

  “Wait, you fell off a cliff?”

  “There was a big sloping snow field on the bottom. We should probably talk about something else now that we are getting closer to other people.” Cero intentionally slowed his pace when he saw that the wagon that had preceded them was stopped at the gate. There was a low wall that surrounded the outer city that wasn’t visible from the distance. It was unfit to deter any kind of invasion, but allowed for a degree of controlling the traffic to and from the city. When the wagon had been passed through, Cero and Aleest approached the gate with a certain amount of trepidation.

  “State your business seeking entrance to Shienhin.” The guard demanded as he blocked their path.

  “No business. Just me and my brother. Our parents died and we thought that we could find a better living here than in our home town.” Cero answered with his most innocent expression plastered on his face.

  “Orphans. We don’t want your like in the city so get going back where you came from.” The guardsman spit to emphasize his disdain.

  “But we just got here. We have been walking for days. Please sir?”

  “There is a fee for every person entering the gates. Ten silver a piece…? Thought you wouldn’t be able to pay, so get going, now!” Cero grimaced when he heard the steep price for admittance. He had a gold coin sewn in his belt for emergencies, but producing the coin now would be rather suspicious.

  “Ten silver? That is robbery!” Aleest lost his temper and nearly exploded. The guardsman backhanded him with his gauntlet, knocking him to the ground. Cero dragged the lad backwards before the guardsman could cause further harm.

  “It’s all right brother, we can stay the night in the same campsite we used last night if we hurry.” Cero knew from Aleest’s confused expression that he had successfully distracted him from attempting a retaliation.

  “All right.” Aleest got up and shook his head with an attempt at dispelling the stars he was seeing.

  “Insulting a guard is a branding offence. If I see either of you again, I will have you clapped in irons at once.” The guardsman sneered and returned to his post where he ignored their existence.

  “Come on.” Cero led Aleest away from the gate. When they had gone a little distance they cut off from the road, paralleling the wall.

  “An orphan?” Aleest inquired as he rubbed his jaw resentfully.

  “It wouldn’t have mattered no matter what I might have said. I don’t have the twenty silver. I just tried to pick a story he was most likely to believe. ”

  “You know that there isn’t a gate fee on the lower city. There is at the upper city gate, but it is only one silver.”

  “Now you tell me.”

  “You are right though. He wouldn’t have let us in even if we had given him the bribe. Reigns doesn’t like his city cluttered with orphans. We can always try another gate.” Aleest shrugged and stopped rubbing his cheek.

  “Here let me have a look at that.” Cero could see the red mark and the outlines of a nasty bruise forming. He traced the bruise with his fingers, but stopped when Aleest flinc
hed.

  “Your fingers are cold, but it felt good.” Cero placed his hand over the red mark feeling the hot skin. He removed his hand once the heat had dissipated and on examining it again, he frowned.

  “I was sure you had a bruise forming. There isn’t a mark anymore.”

  “Maybe I don’t bruise easily. Whatever you did, it feels better. Want to go on to the east gate? It is only a couple hour walk.” Aleest prodded his cheek experimentally until he was assured that the pain was indeed gone.

  “Or we could just go over the wall right over there. They can’t have guards all along the lower wall.” Cero pointed to a portion of the wall that had a heap of garbage piled against it so that the top was only a few feet away.

  “Why not? The worst they can do is brand us if they catch us.” Aleest sarcastically responded.

  “If they catch us.” Cero got a mischievous look and headed for the wall.

  “I'm sure that we will regret this. They don’t know who we are so… why not.” Aleest shrugged and followed Cero.

  “I will go first.” Cero got a running start and charged up the garbage heap. Feeling a surge of power he jumped into the air, grabbing the top of the wall, and letting his momentum carry him over in a neat flip. He landed on his feet on what looked like the roof of one of the hovels in the area. Surprisingly, the roof was well supported and hardly seemed affected by the added weight. Looking back at the reckless jump, he realized that it could have gone a lot worse. He could have landed in a hole or in a blacksmith’s forge. Checking his pack, he found an agitated Bani and felt something wet on his hands. Looking at them, he sat that his palms were oozing that bluish blood from a dozen lacerations.

  “Are you all right?” Aleest softly asked from the other side of the wall.

  “Yes, I'm fine. Just be careful. There is something sharp on the top of the wall.” A moment later Aleest’s blanket was tossed along the top of the wall. Shortly after, the lad slid over and lowered himself to the roof top. There was a couple cuts in the blanket when Aleest held it up for inspection, but overall it seemed unaffected by the usage.

  “Your hands! That looks like it had to have hurt, not to mention you weren’t joking when you said that you bleed blue blood.”

  “It has been like that since I left the dwarves. It will be fine in a little while. Almost already scabbed up.” Cero jumped when a familiar gruff voice yelled out behind him.

  “I knew you scoundrels were up to something when I saw you leave the road. Now you both are in for a flogging on top of the branding.” The guardsman from the gate was angrily advancing on the building that the both of them were standing on the roof of. He was flexing his fingers like he was anticipating scourge’s haft in his hand.

  “Run, I think he means it.” Aleest stated the obvious as the two of them bolted in the direction furthermost from the guardsman, ignoring the outraged orders to halt. The part of the lower city seemed to be the habitations of some of the more impoverished. The buildings were built closely together allowing one to run from roof to roof with relative ease. Someone on the ground such as the guardsman would be hindered by the fences and clotheslines that crisscrossed the space below. There was nothing clearly defined as a street to ease movement. With this advantage, the duo easily outstripped their pursuer.

  When they stopped to catch their breath, they had left the guardsman several yards back. Fortunately, some of the neighbors didn’t seem to get along well and had built sturdy fences out of the available materials. This had made the guardsman’s path an exceedingly difficult one to follow. It didn’t take much to drop down off the roof top and progress inwards to what resembled a street. The smells were overpowering, to say the least. All manner of refuse lay rotting in the gutters and in spots the gutters were so clogged that pools of what could only be defined as raw sewage encroached on the street. Carefully skirting these many hazards, they returned to the road that led from the gate. Crossing the street, they were about to enter a side street that led towards the city proper in the hopes of avoiding accidently running into the same guard if he was still in the vicinity.

  “Hey you! Halt there you cursed little rapscallions. I'm going to flay…” After the initial instinctive urge to bolt again, they looked over their shoulder to see why the guard had stopped mid threat. To their immense satisfaction, they discovered that the guard had been so distracted that he had blundered into one of the pools of sewage and lost his footing. He was now floundering in the slippery substance and spewing the vilest of curses. The intended victims of his wrath casually took the opportunity to disappear into the side street.

  “Did the guard at the gate give you any trouble?” Both Cero and Aleest jumped when Urake came up behind them a short while later on intersecting with the main road.

  “Not really.” Cero smirked at Aleest without Urake noticing.

  “That is good. After he charged us fifteen silver to let the wagon through, Emeck and I got worried that he might hassle you two.”

  “Fifteen for the wagon and two people? He wanted ten silver a piece to let us through.” Urake raised an eyebrow at Cero’s admission.

  “I didn’t know that you had that much silver on you.”

  “We didn’t.”

  “Then…?” Urake gave the boys a sideways look.

  “We went over the wall.” Urake nodded thoughtfully at Cero’s comment.

  “That was a little risky. A guard could have seen you. I was on my way back to make sure you got through safely when I ran into you two.”

  “He did see us. The guard was suspicious of us so he decided to patrol the wall and saw us come over.” Aleest explained what Cero would rather have left unsaid.

  “So how did you get away?” Urake asked rather matter-of-factly.

  “Well, we first ran on the roofs to lose him, but then he saw us again when we were on the street. He stopped chasing us when he fell into a cesspool. I would have loved to stay and watch him claw his way out, but we didn’t want to be there when he did get out. He already wanted us flogged and branded.” Cero had trouble keeping a straight face himself as he watched Urake try to suppress an urge to laugh.

  “And here I was worried about you all by yourselves. I shouldn’t have let you go through by yourselves without someone older, but we needed the older ones for the wagons, plus Torroth was with Inadar. You seem to have taken care of yourselves, Things must have changed a little because there was glass on the lower walls last time I had to go over.”

  “There still is, but we were all right.” Cero crossed his arms making sure that his palms with the crystalline scabs covering them were out of sight.

  “I used a blanket, but Cero didn’t and cut his hands up pretty good.” Aleest stuck his tongue out at Cero’s scowl.

  “I really am fine.” Cero still kept his hands concealed.

  “The last thing you want is an infection. Let me see them.” Cero grudgingly revealed his hands at Urake’s request. The blue blood was gone and only the crystal like scabs remained. When Urake pressed on one, it crumbled revealing a thin bluish line where the cut had been.

  “Like I said, I'm fine. There will be nothing there in an hour.”

  “Strange. Niman’s influence must be effective at a much greater range than I had thought. I don’t know about this stuff though.” Urake pinched a shard and watched as it crumbled into nothingness. Cero wasn’t about to correct Urake’s assumption or offer any explanation.

  “We should get moving.” Cero took his hand back and followed Urake through the streets until they stopped at an inn situated in one of the better parts of the lower city. There was an old sign hanging over the door that depicted a red rose in some stylized manner. It was hard to tell with the paint half peeled off and the wood coming unglued. Inside, it was cleaner than expected, but there were few patrons as evidenced by the proprietor idly carving a piece of wood at the table in what must have been the dining room.

  “Quite the busy day today. Have five rooms let already. Wit
h you three that makes more in one day than I have had in any one day over the last few years.” The wrinkled old man set down his knife amid the piles of shavings and pushed back his chair.

  “It must be quite the trial living in Shienhin’s shadow.” Urake folded back his cloak revealing its dual nature.

  “Shienhin’s shadow…” The old man squinted at Urake and took a step closer.

  “The gargoyle said that you were still active.” The man started at Urake’s comment.

  “Well bless my old eyes, I think I'm seeing a ghost. It has been nigh onto fifteen years since you darkened my doorstep. What brings you to my humble establishment? Need me to help these fine young gentlemen with their new lives?” The man squinted at Aleest and Cero inquisitively.

  “No, they are with me.”

  “I'm guessing the rest probably are also? I think it is time to put up the no vacancy sign. Been five years since I had to do that. King came out to wave at the people on some major holiday and the people flocked to Shienhin in droves. Too bad he up and died, was a good king before that Chancellor got his meat hooks in him. The Princess probably won’t stand a better chance though.” The inn keeper shuffled over the door where he pulled a cobweb covered sign off the wall and hung it over the window.

  “You haven’t heard then. The princess here is an imposter that Reigns cooked up. The real one is in the Outlands leading a rebellion.”

  “Is that so… The best of luck to the lass. She will need it because Reigns has the entire Braebach under his thumb.” The inn keeper motioned them towards the stairway before ascending the creaking construct himself.

  “What can you tell me about Reigns’ princess?” Urake inquired when they stopped at a door.

  “Can’t rightly tell you much. Never seen her myself. She is supposed to be crowned Queen tomorrow night. There is a big deal planned. I was thinking that might be why you were here.”

  “Indeed. Just wondering if you knew anything else.” Cero gave Aleest a glance knowing that this was not the reason that they had come.