by R J Hanson
“I am done teaching,” Maloch said in a calm tone. He was not breathless, and he was not taxed in any way. Maloch would kill Roland. “I tire of toying with you.”
Roland summoned the speed of the majestic weapon again and attempted an overhead chop. Maloch scissored both Shrou-Shelds up and caught the Great sword high in the air. Roland jerked the weapon back and attempted a thrust for Maloch’s abdomen. Maloch scissored his swords back down and caught the Shrou-Hayn again, this time forcing it slightly down and in between his spread legs. Maloch looked over his swords at Roland’s over-extended upper torso.
In his current position Roland would not be able to attempt another thrust because he had extended to the full length of his reach. Maloch smiled as he began the same scissor cut that he had used to parry toward Roland’s head. Maloch half stepped forward as his blades came up. Maloch had been toying with Roland thus far, testing his strengths and weaknesses and tiring him before he humiliated him.
Roland saw the move coming and had been hoping for it. He stretched himself out in the air and dropped, turning over to hit the ground on his back when he landed. Maloch’s blades had traveled over their target, but Roland was now laying down on his back at Maloch’s feet. Maloch misread his ‘advantage.’
Roland’s sword still lay out-stretched from his defeated thrust and in between Maloch’s legs. Roland, now laying on his back, cut upward into Maloch’s unprotected inner thigh. The Great sword bit deeply into Maloch’s flesh and sheared half way through the bone.
Maloch collapsed as one of his legs was nearly severed. Roland rolled quickly away and then stood, his sword held before him. Maloch’s followers looked from one to another, unsure of what to do.
Roland walked over to where Maloch had dropped. Roland looked into Maloch’s eyes, which were still very much alive. Despite his injuries Maloch had maintained his senses.
“You have fought a valiant fight,” Roland said as he extended his sword to Maloch’s exposed neck. “I honor your skill and your conduct with an offer of mercy from one warrior to another.”
“Is it truly a son of Lord Velryk that has beaten me?”
“Truly,” Roland said.
“I then accept your offer of mercy, content in knowing that I was bested by that blood,” Maloch said as strength dwindled from him. “Go in peace from these lands. Should you return you will be counted among our most dangerous enemies.”
With that Maloch’s strength waned and he fell unconscious.
Roland looked up to the drow that surround him and his friends.
“See to your leader,” Roland said. “He is a skilled warrior and an honorable one.”
Roland backed away from Maloch and four dark elves rushed to Maloch’s side. Roland walked to where Ashcliff and Eldryn stood with looks of amazement on their faces.
“We should go now,” Roland said simply.
“Yes,” Ashcliff said. “We should.”
The group of drow watched the four friends exit the grove with eyes full of hatred. Roland, Eldryn, Lucas, and Ashcliff made their way through the narrow passage in the lava wall as rapidly as possible. Each of them took turns looking over their shoulders, and then to the east horizon where the morning sun was only minutes away. Each of them with the exception of Lucas who only continued to gaze ahead.
“We should move from here, and quickly,” Ashcliff said.
“The sun will be out soon,” Eldryn said. “They will go back into their cavern and not hunt us until after dark comes again, if that is their plan.”
“Yorketh and Dawn know I have the artifacts and they will try to get to us as soon as they can,” Ashcliff said. “The dark elves honored their word only because their leader would not tolerate disobedience, and he was incapable of giving the order that we be killed. It was very smart of you to leave him alive, Roland. With him alive they could not elect a new leader to order us killed.”
“That’s not why he did it,” Eldryn said. “He was being serious about the ‘mercy from one warrior to another’ bit.”
Ashcliff looked at Roland incredulously.
“You can’t trust a dark elf to do anything but try to kill you,” Ashcliff said in a rare moment of lost control.
“My father raised me to judge a man, or an elf for that matter, by what he does,” Roland said. “Not by who his kin are.”
“Dark elves or no,” Ashcliff said, still looking at Roland with unbelieving eyes. “We must get from here quickly. Dawn and Yorketh will be on our trail.”
“What is the problem with that?” Roland said.
Eldryn had become accustomed to Roland’s over confidence, but Ash, despite all their travels together to get here, was still marveling at it. None noticed, but, if they had looked, they would have seen an appreciative smile on Lucas’ lips.
“I am tired,” Ashcliff said. “You two both have injuries that need to be treated, and I think our new friend could use a decent meal or two.”
“I am fine,” Roland said with determination in his voice.
“Roland, I know you want to finish what you started with the female fighter, but this is not the time,” Eldryn said. “Those artifacts must be taken to a safe place out of the reach of Dawn, Yorketh, and their master Daeriv. That is our priority now, remember?”
“You are right,” Roland said with a sigh. “I apologize. We should get moving.”
Eldryn had a moment to observe that Ashcliff and Lucas would have no idea what weight Roland’s apology carried. Eldryn alone knew that Roland’s apologies numbered fewer that a man’s fingers.
The four companions made their way out of the narrow path through the ancient lava flow and down to the abandoned campsite that Dawn and Yorketh had left behind. Eldryn whistled in a high low pitch three times quickly and the group heard something moving from the brush toward them. Eldryn whistled again and his horse emerged from the bushes.
Roland and Eldryn checked over their equipment. Roland and Ashcliff pulled their cloaks around them to cut the winter wind that ripped at the mountainside. Eldryn found that the low temperature did not seem to bother him in his new armor. Eldryn gave Lucas his cloak and blanket. He also gave him a large piece of jerky and a water skin. They followed the path down the mountain to a clearing.
The four traveled all the next day and well into the following night with Lucas riding their horse.
“It looks to be just past midnight,” Roland said. “We should probably camp here for the night and get our rest.”
All were at the end of their endurance, but none wanted to admit it. Well, none but Ashcliff anyway.
“It isn’t far enough from the cavern, but I could use the rest,” Ashcliff said.
“I’ll take the first watch,” Eldryn said.
“Ash, you get some sleep,” Roland said. “El, wake me when you’re ready for a break.”
“I suppose your father doesn’t know about that move that you pulled on Maloch,” Eldryn said.
“Actually, I didn’t know about the move either, not until I did it,” Roland replied. “That Maloch, he is a dangerous fighter. He had me, El. I don’t like to admit it, but I got lucky. Well, either luck or Bolvii himself guided my blade.”
“Lucky or not, blessed or not, a smart move or not, you did drop the drow,” Lucas simply stated.
Roland put together a small fire and banked it with large rocks that would hide some of the fire glow and reflect the heat toward him, Lucas, and Ashcliff. Roland rolled into his cloak and pulled it tightly around him as sleep came for the tired warrior.
Chapter VII
Not the Whole Truth
“Did you help him against Maloch?” Fate asked still looking into the basin. Her hair of quark fire waved beneath her crown of cobalt blue. It washed against unseen forces moving as seaweed on the water of a lazy beach.
Bolvii looked up from Fate’s scrying basin into the turning galaxies in her eyes. No mortal could withstand that gaze and it was even difficult for Bolvii. Fate looked at him frankly.
Many had been charmed by his sky-blue eyes, wild black beard, and muscular frame. Many had trembled at the first Shrou-Hayn, Oath Keeper, that hung easy on his hip. Fate was not charmed, nor did she tremble.
“I would not interfere on a field of honor where one warrior faces another,” Bolvii said. “You know that.”
“But Roland prayed to you, did he not?” Fate asked. She turned from the basin and glided to her throne, which sat to the right hand of that of Father Time, where she took her ease.
“He did,” Bolvii responded. “He asked that I watch over his family, friends, and countrymen if he should fall. He asked that I forgive him if he should fail. He prays with his heart.”
“A proper prayer for a warrior to whisper,” Fate said. “So, you did not help him?”
“I blessed the weapons and armor that he now wears when they were forged for another,” Bolvii said.
“And you approve of one so young and untested wielding them?”
“He was untested when he put them on, perhaps,” Bolvii said. “He is untested no more.”
“You have always favored their blood,” Fate chided. “Even when they turned from you your champions still came to their call. Even when they worshiped themselves at your altars you continued to bless them.”
“The whole cannot be judged by the few,” Bolvii said. “They are vain, quick tempered, and some selfish. They have paid a price for that. They will continue to pay a price until they can find a path to redemption.”
“You will hold them to that toll?” Fate asked. “You will not simply forgive, as before?”
“I saved a few, yes,” Bolvii answered. “But I stood with you and the others when the time came for reckoning. I was there when judgement was dealt. So were my champions and some of my heroes.”
“Your heroes, yes,” Fate said. “Do you count this boy among them?”
“Untrained and unprepared he still held your husband’s glass. He held the Sands of Time. Did he not? Does that act alone not prove his heart?”
Bolvii then saw something surprising. It was only a flicker, but he saw it wash across her face. He saw girlish deceit.
“You helped him hold the Sands of Time?” Bolvii asked, stunned.
“No,” Fate said. As she continued to speak her voice took on volume and a distinct tone of command. “I did not. What I may or may not have said to Eldryn is not what I would consider interference. However, should interference be called for then it is I that will call for it! For that matter, I do not interfere! I decide! I plan! None know what it requires save me alone! Any act that would change MY plan is interference! They have choices! They make their choices! None will hold me accountable for the outcome of those choices, although many loose tongues lay blame!”
“I did not intend to accuse, my queen,” Bolvii said, taking a step back and lowering his eyes. “Please understand I make no accusation. I was only surprised that you helped them. Pleasantly surprised if I may say so.”
Hoping to quickly change the direction this exchange was taking, Bolvii asked, “I did not hear who Maloch prayed to. Is it still Muersorem?”
“It is,” Fate replied. “Perfunctory. His prayer was chapter and verse but no heart.”
“Could he still promise his soul to another?”
Roland awoke and relieved Eldryn on his watch. Roland stoked the campfire and made a walk around the site. He returned and sat close to the fire warming himself against winter’s piercing cold. He repaired the chinstrap on his new, and quite useful, helmet. He studied the Shrou-Hayn and the markings on it. It was truly a magnificent weapon. He went through Eldryn’s pack and found what was left of the smoking leaf. Barely enough left for El to have one more smoke. Roland returned the leaf to the pack. They would have to go to a town from here and restock, but which one. And what to do with those artifacts.
Roland woke Eldryn, Lucas, and Ashcliff when he had breakfast started and the last of their coffee boiling. Lucas savored every bite of the cooked meal. He drank the coffee as though it were nectar from the heavens.
“What do we do from here?” Roland asked to no one in particular.
“We will need to re-supply,” Eldryn said. “I know you’ve had your reasons for wanting to avoid the public, but we must restock, and you have nothing to be ashamed of now. We must get Lucas to a town where he can rest and have time to heal.”
“I can travel with you wherever you chose to go,” Lucas said. “I am in better shape now than I have been in twelve years or more.”
“I will not face my father until I can return victorious,” Roland said.
“We have retrieved two great artifacts from ancient times,” Ashcliff said. “We have saved them from falling into the hands of Daeriv. In his hands they would have only wrought evil.”
Both Roland and Eldryn looked at Ashcliff strangely. That was the first time they had heard Ash mention any genuine concern whatsoever for good or evil.
“The question remains then,” Roland said. “What do we do from here?”
“I have an idea,” Ashcliff said. “Our first priority is to make sure that these precious items are secured from the hands of Daeriv. That means Yorketh and Dawn, and anyone else Daeriv might have sent after these ancient and holy discoveries. I mean to cast no doubt about the abilities of any man here, but we would be hard pressed to take Yorketh and Dawn if they were prepared for us. That is not to mention any of the other servants that Daeriv might send. I would hate to see our pride be the cause for these artifacts falling into his hands.”
Ashcliff’s eyes met Eldryn’s and they both understood what, and who, he meant.
“And your ‘idea’?” Eldryn asked.
“I know someone that could not only protect these items from Daeriv, but he could put them to good use against evil. I gave him my word that I would not reveal what I know of him to any man, but, if you trust me, I could take them to him in a brief time. No one would know he had the items but us and that would protect both him and the items. Dawn and Yorketh would still come after you, if that is what you wish. They will not stop until they are dead or they discover that you no longer possess the book and the hourglass.”
“You are proposing to take two of the most valuable artifacts discovered in the last two great ages through those wild lands, alone?” Eldryn asked.
“Yes,” Ashcliff replied with reassurance.
“Have you any better suggestions?” Roland asked Eldryn.
“Frankly I do not,” Eldryn said, his eyes surveying their surroundings. “I assume we are not going to any of the churches because none of us know any paladins that we trust. You refuse to contact your father until you are satisfied that you have redeemed your mistakes. If we travel with Ash it will not only slow him down, but we will stick out as an easy target to every wondering creature and bandit between here and the coast. No, I don’t have any other suggestions.”
Weeks ago, Eldryn might have been ready to cross swords with Roland over this idea, but all three had grown in that time. Eldryn had grown to trust Ash, and had begun to love him as he loved Roland. Roland had always been absolute. He was rarely indifferent. He had made his decision about Ashcliff. He loved him as a brother.
“Very well,” Roland said, his decision made. “Ash, do you need anything from us?”
“No,” Ashcliff replied. “I have everything I need in the pack I retrieved yesterday. It will take me perhaps two, maybe three months to get there. Depending on my success, I should be able to meet you in five to six months.”
“We are about four months ride from the large western town of Modins,” Roland said. “We will meet you there at whatever inn is in the most northwestern corner of that town. If we are not there, we will leave word for you there.”
“Don’t leave it under Ashcliff. That is not a name I use freely. Leave it under Fletcher. If I cannot find you and there is no word, then I will leave word at that inn for you.”
“Very well,” Roland said. “Ashcliff, one day you and I will have a di
scussion about what you know about my father. Is he the same man that the drow referred to as Lord Velryk?”
“Yes, he is.”
“And this Verkial. Who is he?”
“I have no proof, only rumors. Rumors that are often told for the great story they make, not for their basis in facts. That discussion should be between you and your father.”
Ashcliff began to gather his equipment as Lucas, Eldryn, and Roland finished their breakfast in silence. Ashcliff put a few more things in his pack and then looked up at the three.
“You may trust me,” Ashcliff said seeing the worry plainly on their faces. “You have my word that I will not betray you. I will see you at the end of summer. In the fall at the latest. In the time between, watch for Yorketh and Dawn. They are both deadly in their own right. You may be better off if you can bait them into a town. If they are discovered in a city then they will surely be captured. Their evil cause cannot be concealed.”
“Our long faces are not draw in mistrust,” Roland said. “We are concerned for your welfare. To travel through the lands between here and the coast alone is a dangerous business.”
“I have ways of traveling unseen.”
“We know that,” Eldryn said. “We have no doubts of your friendship or your stealth. We worry for your safety.”
“I…” Ashcliff firmed the quiver that tried to take hold in his face and pulled at the edge of his mouth and his eye. He felt something caught in his throat that he had not known before.
“We will pray for you,” Roland said. “We will pray for your safety and swift travel.”
“We will see you at summer’s end, friend,” Eldryn said.
“Do you be sure that you are in Modins by the taste of next year’s winter,” Roland said.
Ashcliff nodded to his friends perfectly concealing the emotion that he felt swell within him. Ash, sometimes called Shanks and known to others as Fletcher, began down his road.