by S D Huss
“Well, where did they go? Where did the Espi-Dae from Torre’ go who were at Vul De Mar? After they burned the first human, they didn’t return home.” Avria paced back and forth before her father. “I think they went to Thule and made a deal with the Rexunii. Why else would they execute the hum--” she caught herself, and her eyes glanced to Katrina who was sitting in the corner of the room with Boros. “Why would they execute Robert? They do not follow the same customs as the rest of us.”
“They did not purify him Avria, they threw him in the blasted pit!” Lord Regios looked at her with steel in his eyes. “The Torre’ burn demons.”
Avria returned his intense gaze, and the two stared at each other for several seconds.
Finally, her father grinned and leaned back in his large chair.
“I think that wouldn’t matter, Father. Even if the Torre’ told them, I don’t think the Rexunii would burn anyone. They base their whole religion on Dio’mar and her supposed resting place.”
“Excuse me… my lady.” Katrina said, her voice small and respectful. “What is this pit you are speaking of?”
Avria looked at her student. Her eyes, still red and puffed from the time she had spent crying over her lost mate. Avria’s gaze held strong and she narrowed her eyes.
“The ‘Pit of Dio’Mar’ is supposed to be the resting place of the ancient spirit, obviously named Dio’Mar.” Avria looked to her father, who only closed his eyes and shook his head, giving her the impression he was only slightly annoyed. “It is a terrible place, with monsters and demons who dwell there. The Rexunii believe that Dio’Mar still resides in its depths, judging the victims who are cast in. I am sorry for the loss of your Mate, I said it before, but to be thrown in the Pit of Dio’Mar… is certain death. Some of the most powerful Dae have been cast down there, and have never been seen again.”
“That's enough,” Boros said, speaking for the first time. “There is no need to elaborate, Avria, she gets it.”
Boros put his hand on Katrina’s shoulder. “The real question is, what do we do now? If we can’t rely on our spies in Thule and assuming the Torre’ have given their support to the Rexunii, what are we supposed to do?”
Lord Regios shook his head and let out a great sigh. “If what we are theorizing is true, then support from the Torre’ forfeits any support from our own King. Yomin will not go against the High King’s will. He is far too reliant on trade from the Torre’.”
He shifted in his great chair. “This puts us in a very difficult position… a position that leaves Vul De Rah, and all of the southern region of Lokkadonia, without any official support from King Yomin… or the High King…”
Avria was still, her brilliant yellow eyes intense and her mind racing. She looked to Boros. “We must speak with the Hego, this information has to be discussed. Where is he?”
“He is spectating the Proistem trials,” Boros said. “My brother is there as well, we will need to see them both.”
Lord Regios huffed and stood from his chair. “Well, let us go speak with them.”
“Daniel will be there,” Katrina said. The Dae in the room looked at her. “I… should probably tell him…”
“You will do nothing of the sort,” Avria said sternly. “He is being tested at a very difficult level, against nobles from across the southern region of Lokkadonia, and without the help of the dunamis, though I doubt that would help him much. He needs to focus on that if he has any hope of success.”
“Hmm” Boros grunted. “He’s with Delmos, isn’t he? They’re in the same war-group?”
Avria shook her head. “We made sure to tell Commander Glaus to keep them separated. That whole situation is a distraction house Regios does not need at the moment.
◆◆◆
“The fool!” Avria said, standing in front of commander Glaus at the Proistem command tent. “Why did you not stop him?” She said, her anger growing. Lord Regios shook his head in disappointment, but let slip a ghost of a smile. “We gave you instructions to keep those two far away from each other for this trial, my brother doesn’t need the distraction, his head is already in the clouds as it is.”
Glaus stifled a yawn and looked lazily at Avria. “My dear cousin, it is not against the rules for our cadets to adapt and take initiative to succeed. In fact, it is encouraged. If your brother, whom you made out to be a depressed and ill-motivated failure by the way; takes it upon himself to acquire a team that he feels he will succeed with, I will not stop him. Since he has been with the human, he has improved on every level of our evaluation. He is even in command of the war-group that he switched to.”
Avria blinked
“He is?” Lord Regios asked.
“Yes, my Lord. You can spectate if you would like, the Hego is in the tower now.”
“Take me to him, Glaus, I need to speak with him.”
chapter 25
Daniel stumbled to the dirt below him, barely dodging another swing from his noble opponent. He cursed loudly and attempted to roll to his feet. The Dae he faced was a skilled swordsman and had almost defeated him more times than he could count. If not for the months of training with Delmos, and his much-improved reflexes and strength, he would already be on his way back to the camp outside Vul De Rah, where the defeated whelps and cadets of the Proistem assembled.
“Spirit-Sent!” Vissa yelled, running to help him.
Daniel brought his weapon up in just enough time to block a downward swing. Dunamis energy crackled from the weapons and sparks jetted from the point where they connected. He was on his knees, and in what he knew to be a compromised position. He flexed his muscles and flung his sword upward, trying to use his strength to disarm and surprise his opponent. The Dae anticipated this and relaxed his arms enough to let Daniel’s blade brush his aside with none of his intended effect. -Oh, Shit...- he thought, as he realized he had lost. The Dae poised himself to strike but turned his body and blade just in time to parry a thrust from Vissa as she stormed in.
“Get up you fool!” She yelled at him, exchanging several blows with the Dae. Even in the few moments she spent fighting him, it was clear he was a better swordsman than her as well.
Daniel shot to his feet and began to press the attack on his side. Holding nothing back in terms of his strength and speed, the noble was a skilled warrior, but he could not hope to take on both of them.
Vissa struck his shoulder with her weapon and he reeled in agony as the Dunamis-imbued weapon shocked him. As he stumbled, Daniel finished him with a thrust to his abdomen. The Dae noble sprawled to the dirt below, letting muffled grunts of agony out as he did.
The blood pumped through Daniel’s body as the training battle raged around him. It was not unlike what he had experienced before, though the battles he fought while in the deserts of Iraq back in his own world seemed calm and orderly in comparison. However, the carnage and fear of unseen death brought that experience into a category far beyond this. There were shouts and screams as the Dae whelps struggled to defeat their opponents; it was utter chaos. They weren’t distant enemies that you killed from afar, they were in your face, trying to hack away at you. Granted, this was not a real battle, and the wounds here were superficial at best. It did little to take away from the realism of it all.
“Vissa!” Daniel yelled, noticing she was in a dazed state. She flinched as he called her name and she looked at him with almost vacant eyes. “Where is Delmos?” He said slowly.
At the mention of his name, she snapped back. “I… I don’t know!” She turned frantically to scan the battlefield. The ambush was perfect this time, only Daniel’s war-group was not the ambusher, but the victim of a vicious assault. The only thing that saved them was the separation of their forces. Delmos had marched with a smug and satisfied grin on his face after the whelps they had appealed to decided to join them. Daniel suggested they separate into three groups, each to defend and protect one another from afar. They would march independently from each other, but be within range to assist if an
ything went wrong. This is the only thing that saved what was left of daniel’s portion. He was ambushed, and the other two charged in from two different directions to assist. The flanking maneuver halted the assaulting group’s momentum and put them in a desperate battle for survival.
“There!” Vissa called and pointed with her weapon.
Delmos danced between several whelps and one of the remaining enemy cadets, his sword crackling as he deflected blows and swung for counter attacks. Daniel hurried as fast as he could. He knew what the enemy was attempting to do, take out their leader, but how Delmos managed to let himself get surrounded and separated, he could only guess. As he got closer, he could see his friend’s face. There wasn’t the fearful intensity that one would expect in that position, but an ear to ear grin that bled insurmountable glee.
Before Vissa and Daniel could even reach their fearless leader, he had already dispatched the whelps and held his blade to the throat of the noble, who now sat on the ground without his weapon.
“Anything else to say, fool?” He said, panting heavily and taking that moment to look at the rest of the battlefield. It was over, and it looked as though he had only sustained moderate losses.
“By the spirits!” Vissa said as she came to a stop. “You definitely are a Regios, my lord.”
“Don’t feed his ego,” Daniel said sarcastically. “He’s already hard enough to deal with as it is.”
“You’re right.” She said, turning to Delmos with a look of steel. “What in Pelemont are you doing, letting yourself get surrounded like that?”
Delmos chuckled but tilted his head down to the noble who sat in defeat. “May I introduce you both to Lord Maki of house Reevus, a spindly and cunning little twat, but a worthy opponent.”
Daniel looked down as well and appraised the Dae; he had pale, almost white skin, a very thin nose, and brilliant yellow eyes.
“The battle is over, Maki. You should fight for me, I could use a gurrank like you in my war-group.”
“Whats a gurrank?” Daniel whispered to Vissa.
She looked at him, slightly annoyed, but obliged to answer. “They are small little pests that scurry about the ground and feed on the garbage and filth that litters our streets.”
“So, they’re rats basically…”
“They're what?” she said.
“Nevermind.” Daniel turned to see the whelps, who all looked tired and weary, but still celebrated with each other.
“What do you say?” Delmos asked again. “Are you going to join us? Or will you choose to head back to the camp? In defeat, of course, I won't make it easy either, I’ll hit you in the balls with this thing, I swear.” He gestured to his Dunamis-infused weapon. Daniel cringed at the thought.
“Fine...” Maki said, speaking for the first time. “But is this even legal? How do you have so many whelps?”
“I captured them.” Delmos brought his sword back into its scabbard at his side. “And that's all you need to know about it.”
Maki scoffed as he began to stand. “I figured the instructors would give you an advantage, the disgraced son of house Regios, trying to scrape honor together where he can find it.”
“Well, I don’t seem to remember any instructors helping me knock you on your ass.”
“Shut up, Maki, don’t act like you’re some downtrodden victim of an unfair society,” Vissa said. “Pick up your sword and come here, we have a trial to win.”
◆◆◆
Avria walked out onto the large balcony of the observation tower. She beheld the plethora of stuffed and snobby nobles she had come to despise. They were always scheming, planning something despicable. As she scanned the crowd, she saw the Hego of Vul De Rah, Lord Agron of house Ignos, and his son, Oros. She had a very troubled past with the prince, ever since they were children they seemed to fight with each other. For her, more because her father had told her that she was to be mated with him, the thought was infuriating to her.
“Lady Avria!” a familiar voice called from beside her.
The ward looked to see Illya Ignos, the daughter of Hego Agron, standing with her arms outstretched in what was most certainly a forced and ingenuine greeting.
“It is good to see you here, have you come to see the trial?”
“No, we haven’t Illya,” Boros said, walking from behind her with Lord Regios and Katrina in tow. “We have come to see father.”
“Oh…” Illya glanced to see Katrina’s puffed and bothered face. “Well, what happened?”
“The Rexunii have purified Robert… It seems he’s dead...” Avria said bluntly. She nodded in respect to the princess and walked past her.
“Wait! You’re joking, right!?”
Avria ignored her and strode to meet with the Hego and Oros. The two were seated at the edge of the balcony with several other high nobles, and all discussing a recent battle that took place.
“Excuse me my Lords, but I have urgent news,” Avria said, bringing her arm to her chest in a salute.
“Avria!” Agron said, greeting her with a clasp on the arm. “You should see your brother down there, he is a force to be reckoned with”
Avria couldn’t help but smile at the words. She would have to speak to her brother, but now was not the time to discuss this.
“My Lord, we have urgent news from the Rexunii capital.”
Agron and Oros took the party to one of the lounges in the tall observation tower. There, Avria explained the situation, along with her theory on the reasoning behind the uncharacteristically sudden execution of Robert.
Agron listened with a thoughtful expression. He didn’t interrupt her or comment in any way. As Avria spoke, she could tell he believed her, there was no doubt that this was not only possible but in fact, likely to happen.
“This… is quite the bit of news Avria,” Oros said, looking at her with troubled eyes. “We will have to verify it. I will go to the southern forts and prepare a-”
“No, you will not,” Agron said, interrupting his son. “We have an obligation here at the proistem trials… These officers will be the war leaders in this coming conflict. They must be attended to. As the prince, you are required to do this.” Agron looked at his son, his eyes tired, but filled with love. “You are a prince, Oros… and must lead Vul De Rah when I am gone. You may even one day be king of all Lokkadonia. It starts now, with your ability to delegate. Place your faith in those who serve you.”
Oros contemplated deeply his father’s words and looked to his brother. “Summon Eslan and Viecco. Tell them they are to report to me immediately. I will be here.”
Boros saluted and turned to carry out the order.
Avria caught herself smiling at the display. Though Oros had been a source of great strife to her over the years, he was maturing into a fine leader of the Dae.
Oros turned his gaze to her, and their eyes met. “Will you join us, Avria? Your brother is making quite the waves. I see a great future in him as a military leader.”
Avria cursed herself for being caught with such a foolish look on her face. “Well, I have much to-”
“Stay-” Both her father and the Hego said simultaneously. “It will be good for you, daughter, I will tend to your squire. Fear not, I have trained many in my days.” Lord Regios turned and nodded to Katrina, who followed him off the balcony and into the tower.
chapter 26
“I think you should eat it, human…” Dio’Mar said, hovering around Robert’s head.
Robert appraised the strange food that was brought for him by the Cugorii. It was an absolute mystery where they got it, and to make it even stranger, it looked as though it was cooked.
“Mushrooms… and some kind of meat?” Robert looked to the Cugorii again. “Where did you get this?” The creature just lifted its clawed hand and pointed into the darkness of the cavern. Robert looked again at his strange meal. It had been five days since he had eaten anything, and he was going mad with hunger.
“Screw it…” He said, biting down hard on
the meat. His mouth was filled with a strange and sour taste; almost like vinegar. He gagged as he forced himself to consume it. “What the hell is this?” He asked Dio’Mar. “Don’t tell me you don’t know, you’ve been down here for thousands of years.” His eyes widened as a thought crossed him. “Wait… this isn’t Dae meat, is it? Of the dead that are down here?”
The Cugorii shook its head slowly.
“No… that is not the flesh of the Dae…” Dio’mar said. “There are many creatures that scurry in the darkness… just be thankful that you are not starving to death now. We found you a source for clean water… food to eat, and still you complain… what a troublesome creature you are.”
Robert looked to the water dripping down from a low hanging stalactite. His only source of the precious liquid; it tasted like metal and, for all he knew, was sewage leaking from the streets above, but he had been drinking it for several days now and seemed to be fine.