ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS AWAY FROM LUCA’S MANOR STOOD the quiet home of his friend, Vehru. The manor itself was peaceful. The bridge to the gates had been drawn up, and the leaves of the surrounding trees had calmed themselves into a serene stupor. On the second level, inside the master chamber, Vohro paced in an erratic manner.
“Why must you carry this weight on your shoulders?” his wife, Ela, said. She was a tall, warrior-like beauty, and pale-skinned with long, blue-black hair and sky-blue eyes.
“I didn’t put it there,” Vohro said. “The weight abruptly dropped on me, but I fear the young Jubahn suffered the worst of it. My suffering is nothing compared to his. The leg I crafted was never meant to break.”
“All things of this world are meant to break,” Ela said. “There’s no need in destroying yourself. You did all that you could have. The leg lasted for many years. Things happen the way they are meant to happen. Let it go.”
Vohro sat down, staring at the quiet candles shining their shadows on the stone walls. In his hand, he held the broken wooden leg he had crafted for Luca, whom he loved like a son. Frustrated, he let it drop to the floor, making an obtrusive noise as it broke the peace surrounding his chambers. He took off his mastro’s ren, throwing it on the bed. The mastro appeared ragged, as if overworked.
“Put your blades up and come to bed,” Ela said. “Your day’s been long, and your night will be short. Be smart and get some rest.”
“I need some ale,” Vohro said, placing his blades against the wall.
“You need sleep, now come.”
Heeding her wishes, Vohro put himself to bed and flipped the candles off with a flick of his wrist. Darkness reigned.
Now the only sign of life came from Vehru’s room, which appeared to have been kept alive by a solitary candle; it was constantly flickering back and forth from side to side, as if restless, bullied by an unseen force.
Vehru sat cross-legged atop his bed with his head down and eyes closed. He appeared to be in deep thought, as if feeling out his room’s space. He had learned a thing or two about the discernment of spirits from his father, but he was still immature in the practice of it. Vehru knew that his father was proficient in manipulating the wind to such an extent that he could force the wind to blow in certain directions, especially when commanding it to blow out candles at the snap of a wrist.
Vehru tightened his eyes. He opened up his right hand and calmly felt the air around it. He raised his head and stared at the candle, and with great confidence, he pushed his hand in a forward motion towards the candle, closing it quickly. The candle reacted by wavering, as if being struck in the face by a bully. Keep practicing, Vehru.
Just then his attention was caught by something strangely familiar to him. Vehru felt compressed by a power, like being constrained by a cage. He had felt this feeling before—quite a number of times, actually, and Vehru smiled; he always knew when one of his friends approached.
“I know you’re there,” Vehru said, stretching his neck to relieve the pressure he was putting on the muscles on his back by sitting the way he was.
There was no answer.
“Come on, Pabru,” Vehru said, close to losing his patience. He heard a snicker and a howl linger in the air. What is he doing? “Are you just going to hang from my window all night?”
“Perhaps.”
“What point are you trying to make by not coming in?” Vehru said, his irritation increasing.
“I didn’t realize how spent I was until I tried to climb up this wall. I might be stuck. I can’t pull myself up. I think it’s funny that I can’t pull myself up, is all.”
“I don’t know if you’re being serious, or not. You’d better not be lying.” A moment passed. “Pabru?”
“I might need your help.”
Vehru rushed to help his friend. He poked out the window and saw Pabru dangling from the ledge, looking up at him. He grabbed Pabru’s arms and pulled him inside. “Excellent work, Pabru,” he said. “You are the epitome of a Davinian Servantu.”
“Don’t ever forget it,” Pabru said, falling to the floor, exhausted.
“Excuse me!” Vehru heard from outside.
Who in the world is that?
He poked his head out the window once more and saw a splendor of golden freckles.
“A helping hand would do, please,” Luleh called, stretching out her arm. Her sister trailed behind.
Tripping over himself, Vehru did his best to help the sisters inside. “I didn’t see you guys there. I’m sorry.”
“Yes, well, we’re not the least bit surprised,” Lereh said as she straightened her garments out.
“Quiet, sister,” Luleh said.
“Get up, Pabru,” Vehru said as he walked backed to his bed and plopped his mass on it once again. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We came here to get you,” Pabru said after sitting up, “but I didn’t know it was going to drain all of my energy coming here. You’re just a few hundred yards away from my house, but we had to run through part of this fog that just crept up on us. I almost lost my way.”
“I have to admit,” Luleh said, today has been an eventful day.” Lereh and Vehru just kind of nodded in agreement.
“So, what do you want me for?” Vehru got to the point.
“We’re heading out,” Luleh said.
“Heading out?” Vehru said. “Where to?”
“Where I found this,” Pabru said, holding up his hand and opening it. A shiny metal ball linked to a chain fell from his palm, and he dangled it in front of Vehru’s face to make sure he could make it out.
“That’s the ball you showed Luca and me earlier, isn’t it?” Vehru said.
“The same one indeed, and we’re going to go find some more of this metal.”
“Now?” Vehru said. “For what?”
“Pabru mentioned something about crafting Luca a new leg,” Luleh said. “At first, I didn’t believe him, but then he showed me the ball he made. He asked us to help, and well...we know the land better than you guys, so we thought we could lend a hand. It shouldn’t take long.”
“It better not,” Lereh added. “I was looking forward to burying myself in books all night long.”
“You didn’t have to come,” Luleh said.
“And who’d watch over you?” Lereh said, shoving her sister on the shoulder while she made her way to the pantry.
“Stop,” Luleh whined.
“But can anyone craft a leg out of metal?” interjected Vehru.
“I’m sure the Davinian smithy would be more than happy to attempt it,” Pabru said as he followed Lereh to the small bedroom pantry.
Lereh reached for the pantry doors and opened them, and what she saw in there made her face as pale as a ghost.
“Good evening, freckles,” a small little creature said, who was balancing itself on the wall with its tiny arm.
“Ah!” Lereh said as she abruptly backed away from the little creature inside the pantry.
“Out of my way, Penn,” Pabru said, shoving the creature to the side. “Is there anything good in here?”
Penn crossed his arms. The little creature had the appearance of a fox yet stood on two legs instead of four. His limbs were human-like with the exception of his paws. His fur was all white, and he had a squirrel’s tail reaching all the way to his head. On his face was a black spot like a mask, something like a raccoon, and most noticeably was the orange spiky hair blazing down the center of his head. He jumped down to the floor.
“What is that?” Lereh said, backing away as if disgusted.
“I don’t know exactly what it is,” Vehru said. “It’s just Penn.”
“Not much of a presentation, little master,” Penn said.
“Sorry about that,” Vehru said, picking the little creature up and placing it on the bed next to himself. “Penn was my mother’s pet growing up, and now he’s mine.”
“I’ve never seen anything like him,” Luleh said, amazed.
“A
nd I’ve never seen anything like you before, with your fire hair and all,” Penn said, stroking his own spiky hair. “We might be kin, freckles.”
“Um, not likely,” Lereh said, disdainfully. “And don’t call me ‘freckles.’”
“But I love your freckles,” Penn said. “They remind me of someone I knew a long time ago who had freckles, but hers were green.”
“Green?” Luleh said. “Odd.”
“Yes, well, anyway,” Penn said. “That’s a story for a different occasion.”
“Thank goodness,” mumbled Lereh.
“So, where are we going again?” Penn said.
“You’re not going anywhere, little friend,” Vehru said. “Neither am I; not now, at least. We can’t go out in this darkness. We’d have to wait until morning.”
“Nonsense,” Lereh said. “The lake is but a mile from here.”
“Still, we’re without our stamina, and it’s clear that the night seems strange,” Vehru said. “It would be foolish to step out into that fog.”
“But it would be adventurous,” Luleh said. “You are a Davinian are you not? What’s the big fuss? Let’s just go and get it over with.”
“Yes, I am a Davinian, thus why I choose to stay in the comfort of my room for now,” Vehru said.
Pabru walked over to Vehru’s night desk and took hold of a jug of water. He placed the jug up to his mouth.
“Use a cup,” Vehru said. “You’re a pig.”
Pabru agreed with a loud belch. “Get dressed, Vehru,” he said. “I want to make it to this place before we get ensnared by the creeping fog. As Luleh said, the lake is about a mile from here, so it shouldn’t be a hassle to reach it. But that fog gives me the shakes.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I won’t be going out.”
“Vehru,” Lereh began, “you and I both know that Luca is now a fallen jubahn. Do you remember the punishment for that?”
Vehru pondered on the matter for a second. “Exile,” he murmured reluctantly.
“Correct,” Pabru said. “So, I thought about this a great deal, and I figured that if we were going to retrieve the metal, we would have to do it tonight, for Luca could be exiled at any time, even come morning. If he does go, I’d feel much better if he had a strong, durable leg to aid him on his journey.”
Vehru stepped up to the window to take a look at the gray smoke that crawled along the horizon at an accelerated rate. Something in his being went off like a light, and he began to have reservations about going off into the night.
“I almost forgot about the punishment,” Vehru said. “But like you said, we have no choice. It would be nice for him that have that leg, if, like you said, it can be crafted. Okay, then, let’s get this metal for Luca.” Vehru turned to his friends and noticed something about them. “Wait, you guys didn’t bring your blades?”
“Why is that surprising?” Lereh said, “I can’t wear my blades, and neither can you, or have you forgotten you are not of age to sneak out at night? Only adults are allowed to wander about in the moon ire. It’s forbidden for us to sneak out, and just as forbidden for us to wield our blades while doing so. The punishment for our meandering at night is not severe, but if we get caught wielding our blades when it’s prohibited, we’ll surely be expelled.”
“Well, if I am going to break this rule, then I am going to do it to the hundredth degree, and that would include wearing my vest and my blades.”
“But you won’t need them,” Pabru said, annoyed. “It’s bad enough we’re sneaking out. Your stubbornness is going to get us expelled from the Order.”
“You don’t understand,” Vehru said. “It’s not stubbornness, it’s a feeling deep inside...to not be stupid!” Vehru walked up to his wardrobe. “Did you bring anything at all with you?”
“I brought a pickaxe and shovel for the metal, and a small cart,” Pabru said. “It’s all outside waiting for us.”
“Very well, Pabru, but never leave your vest when you’re sneaking about, especially in the moon ire, whether you’re breaking a rule or not. Got it? There is breaking a rule, and there is being smart. A good person knows how to discern between the two.”
“Yes, Servantu Vehru,” Luleh said with a genuine smile.
“I like hearing that,” Vehru said, mirroring Luleh’s smile. He reached for his vest, which was resting on a wooden mannequin. He put it on, making sure to fasten it on securely. He moved up to his wall and grabbed his blades.
“No,” Lereh stopped him. “You must leave your Rasplendur where it is. You haven’t been ordained a Servantu yet, so you may have a Rasplendur, but you cannot wield it. You know this.”
She was right; wielding a Rasplendur without authority was leagues beyond sneaking out at night or donning the blades when prohibited. It was sacred. “You’re right, Lereh,” Vehru said. Thus, he left his long blade resting on the wall.
After putting on his vest and blades, Vehru moved to his wardrobe, pulling out a number of garments.
“Here, wear this,” Vehru said, throwing some things to his friends. It was a full set of Davinian clothes that he had constructed: hats, rens, shirts and pants, and even the soft sandals were all the shade of midnight. “These garments will help us marry the night. Put them on quickly.”
Vehru approached the window. “Should I get a rope, or are you guys well with climbing down to the ground?”
“A rope will do,” Pabru said.
“Just as well,” Vehru said. He grabbed a rope and threw it out the window and onto the ground.
“Take care of yourself, little master,” Penn said, jumping on the window ledge. “Don’t take too long, or I’ll have to come looking for you.”
“Don’t worry about me, Penn,” Vehru said, petting his little friend on the head. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
The four Davinians climbed down on top of the moist grass and made their way to the cart.
“What direction is the lake?” Luleh said.
“Towards the fog,” Pabru said.
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Lereh said. “We’ll take turns pushing the cart. You go first, Pabru.”
“Figures” Pabru said, reluctantly positioning himself behind the cart. “Let’s go, everyone.”
The Davinians marched on through the darkened terrain even though they lacked most of their energy at first, but the thought of being able to craft a sturdy metal leg for their friend fueled their efforts, and the fear of losing the opportunity to do so guided them through the night with a single, solid purpose.
After they had traveled for half a mile or so, they came upon the fog lingering near the outskirts of Loshendu Forest. The smoke was dense and cumbersome; any closer to the ground and the fog would be rolling across the terrain. Not surprisingly, the Davinians blended in with the mist, for they were in disguise of the night, and once they entered the fog, it was as if they became the fog.
Breaking into the forest, the four were caught in wonder as they ogled at the sullen, towering trees up above. It was not uncommon for the tree branches to overlap, stretch and intertwine amongst themselves, as if the towering elms were reaching out to each other and grappling roughly with their limbs, as if in some sort of quarrel. It was for this reason that an elder scribe many years ago named it “Loshendu Forest”, or the fighting forest, for it reminded him of walking amongst a never-ending brawl of bark and leaves, as if one had just entered an eternal battle that had been waging on since before mankind.
The young Davinians kept progressing under the ire of the silver moon. With only half a mile to go, their pace slowed down, as the fog was becoming a troublesome burden. Vehru had relieved his friend with pushing the carriage, and Pabru took a guard’s position behind his friend, while the Flowers trailed them a few feet behind.
Vehru’s pace slowly decreased by the minute; he became distrustful of the gray mist. They had traveled about a quarter mile, with only another quarter remaining before reaching the lake. All four of them wondered wha
t things thrived in the shadows of the smoke. They couldn’t sense anything, but they feared it was just the lack of skill in doing so. Moreover, the group also knew that they were camouflaged, and it would take great skill for someone or something to spot them moving through the muddled terrain.
And they were correct in thinking this way—it would take a large amount of skill to do so, and the dark thing that had been stalking them since the beginning had such the skill. Unbeknownst to them, a creature lingered among the pockets of dense, cloud-like mass hovering across the forest ground; it trailed them with a predator’s sensitivity. The being left light tracks on the soft dirt, tracks that seemed to match the ones Jeskun had found earlier that day.
Up ahead, the four souls carried onward. They kept silent, and their movement was like a panther treading softly amongst the leaves, blending in with the obscurity of the night.
“I know something is out here, around us,” Vehru observed nervously. “I just don’t know what it is or if it’s even a threat.”
“I feel it too,” Lereh said. “We can hide with the fog, or we can proceed.”
“We’ll proceed,” Vehru said, pushing the cart. “Keep always on the move under an angry moon, especially in a fog.”
The four young Davinians crossed the last part of their journey, exiting the forest and stopping about twenty yards away from the edges of the lake. The four knew why they had stopped, and so speaking to each other would have been useless. They remained like statues in the fog so they could focus on the noises of the night.
A fluttering of soft thuds began to sound off in every direction around the group. The thuds grew louder, sounding more like footsteps in the dank, fog-stained grass. It became apparent to the Davinians that these things making the noises had no clue of their presence, and following some tense moments, the movement of the mysterious beings ceased, and the Davinians finally felt the threat dissipate.
“Let’s move, quickly,” Lereh said.
“What do you think it was?” her sister replied.
“They sounded like humans, but they didn’t breathe like them,” Vehru said.
“So they weren’t really human?” Luleh said.
“I guess,” Vehru said as he picked up his pace. “What would masquerade itself in such a manner?”
“I don’t know, but we could find out,” Pabru said.
“Stay focused, Pabru,” Lereh said.
After a tense few minutes, the Davinians reached the much-anticipated lake. Oddly, the lake seemed to be immune from the engrossing fog, as if an invisible shield had been constructed around the edges of the water. In fact, the lake was clear of any blemish, and the water was pure and fresh. Far above the lake breathed the starry night, and the reflective pool of water made the stars seem to come down and prance along the surface of the water.
The group stood near the outer banks and reveled in its transforming charm; the calming water had somehow succeeded in curing them of all their fears. On the opposite side of the lake, on its sloped bank, was the metal they sought. Its illustrious qualities cut through the darkness around the lake, and so it was fairly simple for Pabru to point his finger in the right direction. “Right over there on the other side,” he said. “Are you up for a swim?”
“Not in the least bit, but we better get this over with,” Vehru replied.
So the four went into the water, clothes, blades and all. They even brought the cart, which Pabru had improved by having it convert into a small wooden raft, big enough to carry the extra pounds of metal and dirt but too small to actually carry the four across the water. As the Davinians swam, they all felt light as a feather, and it was as if all of their strokes were made by powerful giants, for they were propelled across the lake at a rapid rate. To Vehru it seemed as if there was a current steadily moving them along to their destination; the lake wanted them to reach the metal.
Once on the other side, Pabru pulled the raft up, picked up the ax and made his way to a pile of rubble on the ground.
“See?” Pabru said as he pointed to the mounds of rubble appearing to have been sprinkled with metallic dust. “It’s right where I found it last time.”
“I see that,” Vehru said. “Good job. Now let us be prompt, so we can return safely to our homes.”
“Agreed,” Pabru said. “Grab the raft while I make the first strike.”
But this was something that Vehru would soon find he could not do, for the raft they had brought with them was now drifting back to the other side of the lake from which it came from. Vehru had quickly come to learn that the raft was not just drifting away from them, but being pulled by something.
A dark figure stood at the other end of the lake; it had somehow stealthily snatched a hook on a small part of the raft before the four young ones had even begun to cross the lake. The dark thing had stolen the raft underneath their noses.
“Everyone?” Vehru said in an alarmed state. “Turn around.”
They turned to the dark figure at the other end of the lake. But instead of being consumed by fear, all four became angry. Pabru raised his pickaxe and held it in a defensive position while approaching the edge of the lake.
“Who goes there?” Pabru said, angrily, but the dark being, who now seemed to have the shape of a man in dark clothing, did not answer.
The man pulled the raft up to the shore and set it a few feet away from where he stood. He turned to the young students and mockingly raised his hand to them.
“You’ll have your raft, Davinian slaves, but to do that you must cross the lake. Will you cross the lake? I do hope that you come and meet me here. I shall like a duel with you. Come and cross the lake, servants of fools.”
“A duel?” Lereh fumed with eyes of a fierce lioness. “He wants a challenge?” Then she realized something terrible. “I don’t have my blades, Vehru. None of us do. Well—”
Vehru, who had already figured out he was to be the one to cross the lake, spoke to his friends, “I know that you’re without your blades. It’s a good thing that I have mine.” He said this as a reprimand.
“But wait,” Pabru said. “Who is he? Do we really have to meet the challenge? If he’s a master, we can’t defeat him. We can take off; he’d have to cross the lake to catch us.”
“He’ll reach us sooner or later, Pabru. I sense he’s Davinian. We must meet the challenge. We can’t retreat. Remember, it is unbecoming of a Davinian to not rise to a duel from something as dark as this...warrior.”
“You don’t have your Rasplendur,” Luleh said.
“The others will have to do,” Vehru said.
“What say thee, young slaves?” the dark man said. “Will you not meet the challenge? Sooner or later, we’ll have to cross blades.”
“I’ll go,” Vehru said, taking his ren off. “You guys stay here and pick away at the metal. There’s no point in running away from something we can’t avoid.”
“Ha!” Lereh said. “Do you really think you’ll be crossing the lake alone? How noble of you. But this meat is mine to carve. Award me one of your blades, Davinian, and I’ll go with you to the other side.”
“And me too,” Luleh said.
“No, Sister,” Lereh said. “You’ll stay here with Pabru and mine for the metal. You’ll protect him.”
“Hey! I don’t need protection!”
“Be quiet, Pabru,” Vehru said. He turned to Lereh and took out his Nunsurrum blade. “So that you would honor me,” he said as he raised the blade to the Flower.
“I accept the honor,” Lereh said, and thus Vehru awarded her with his blade to wield. He turned to Pabru. “Pick as much as you can carry. Something tells me these waters will help you carry as much as you please. Do it. I’ll try to hold him off as long as I can. I leave this for you.”
Vehru took out the blade from his right chest, his Trunu, and threw it at the ground, making it stick. “Honor me, friend. Use this to defend yourself,” Vehru said. “If I fail and fall, you must follow and do the same as I do.”
“You won’t fail.”
“Keep picking away no matter what you hear or see,” Vehru said, extending his hand to his friend.
“Don’t worry about me,” Pabru said as he embraced his hand.
The boys said their goodbyes while the sisters embraced and said theirs. It was time for them to separate—for the time being, so they hoped. Vehru and Lereh made their way to the lake, dunking themselves into the cool water.
“Only two will come?” the dark Davinian mocked.
“Only two shall do,” Vehru replied as he swam in defiance. Vehru dipped himself in the crisp water while Pabru looked on.
The man waiting at the other end reached for one of the blades located on his left gauntlet. It was a dark and curved blade, an abomination of steel. “This is for your arrogance, young Davinian.”
He threw the blade across the water with such speed that it was heard but not seen. The blade came at Vehru with force, and it cut him above the right ear, just enough to make him cry out in a shrill scream.
“A taste of what is to come, my young friend,” the man said.
What the dark creature was not aware of was the power behind the young Davinian’s scream; it reached far above the space surrounding the lake and flew into the night up above the perilous fog. It rode the surface of the moon and skipped along the all-embracing stars, until it came into the thoughts of one man.
And his eyes awoke from their slumber.
***
Sword from the Sky Page 13
