"Well, miss..." he beckoned her.
"Oh..." she exclaimed, surprised. "Svana. You can call me Svana."
"Svana." Her name rolled off of his tongue like wine, and she felt her cheeks blushing. Though she wasn't sure if it was from heat, or the way he was staring at her. "Svana, it is the most remarkable blade I've ever seen. Though this symbol here at the bottom, I've never seen one like it." He reached up, his thumb and pointer finger stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I would guard it with your life."
"Oh, I do," she said simply, sliding it back into the scabbard. "Well, thank you for taking a look," she smiled up at him, inadvertently batting her eyes. Get ahold of yourself! You're going to be a queen, not some commoner!
"You can call me Jakobe." His lips upturned slightly, and he turned his back to her to return to the piece he had been working on.
"Jakobe," she repeated. "Mind if I watch for a bit? I've never seen such a thing."
He nodded to her, and grabbing hold of the metal once more, he pumped the bellows, fanning the flames until the metal was red hot. He dropped it on the anvil and began hammering it. The noise was loud, and the smell burned her nostrils, but she thought it to be one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.
When he finished, he held it up for her approval. A shield, with a dragon emblem? It was almost as if they were fated to meet, but she knew that if that was the case, Lingaria would have gladly told her so.
"Jakobe, it's lovely. What are you to do with it?"
He pointed behind him, to a wall she hadn't noticed. On it, several shields with various emblems hung, and next to that, another wall with daggers of all lengths and sizes. Svana gasped in awe.
"How much is it? I want it." Suddenly she felt as if she had to have it. She had not been gifted a shield from the dragon realm, and she had no doubt it would come in handy later when she came against the king.
Jakobe laughed. "You'll walk out as soon as I tell you," he said assuredly.
She shook her head. "No, I won't. I don't have a shield. I need one, and I want that one. So how much?"
Jakobe looked her up and down and looked back to the shield.
"Fifty Verdilliums," he said, his eyebrows raised as he gauged her reaction.
Svana took out the pouch with the coins and counted them.
"I have twenty here, but I am to battle again tonight. When I win, I will come back to you and pay you the rest. Please, I need it."
"Twenty? Battle? You wish to take my shield into battle and pay me after?"
"No, please... you misunderstand. Tonight, I battle again at the town square. I won last night. If I win again tonight, it is double the prize. I will give it all to you."
His eyes were nearly impossible to tear her gaze away from, even if she wanted to. Aside from his appearance and strong presence, she sincerely wanted the shield.
"You! You are the woman who battled and won against Stovan?"
Svana nodded her head.
"Take it! My compliments! Anyone who can put that clumsy oaf in his place deserves the best trophy."
"No, Jakobe. I cannot ask for this, here..." she dropped her bag of coin on the counter. "Take this at least, I know it is far less than what you are asking, but you have my gratitude and I will be in your debt forever."
Not that I mind that at all, she thought mischievously.
"As you wish, madam. Do you plan on staying around long?" he asked, sticking the bag of coins in his apron pocket.
"I plan on sticking around for a long time."
Jakobe handed her the shield. "Take care, the metal is still warm. I eagerly await your fight this evening." He winked at her.
Blushing furiously, Svana stepped backwards from the shop, grinning from ear to ear, and then she turned and made her way toward the pit as quick as her legs would carry her. Her brilliant new shield at her side.
When she arrived, the crowd was already formidable, their yells nearly deafening. She ducked under the rope, setting aside her sword and newly forged shield. The crowd erupted in cheers.
"I am ready!" Svana yelled loudly. "Send forth my opponent."
After a moment of silence, a man who towered over every man and woman present, stepped into the arena, his dark eyes dripping with malice.
What are they feeding these people? she wondered as she watched him step into the ring. He smiled down at her.
"Play time is over," he said in an unnaturally deep voice.
"I couldn't agree more," she said, not to be intimidated. She crouched and prepared for his attack.
21
Hekla
Some things cannot be rushed. They take time and consideration. Patience is not an easy ability to obtain, but one realizes that without it, stress and worry follow, and whatever you weren't patient with, takes longer to accomplish.
King Ansel the Humble, First King of Aequoris, 259 A.V.
When Hekla awoke, she explored the cavern. Speltus was still fast asleep, and Hekla wanted to keep it that way. The little dragon was growing on her, but more than anything, Hekla wanted a little alone time. She edged closer to the pond, smiled, and took off her armor. Her bare foot dipped into the surface, and it sent shivers up her spine.The water wasn't freezing, but it was by no means warm. Still, it was clean, and Hekla began to wonder when the next chance she would have to bathe. Grinning, she stepped in the water, but only made it three steps before slipping and falling onto her bottom.
The sound of water splashing woke Speltus from his nap. "Hekla, you're awake?"
She laughed softly, blushing. "Yes, thought I would rinse my body while you rested. Please avert your eyes."
"Humans have an odd sense of modesty. I don't understand. Dragons are not that way," he said indignantly, as she continued rinsing herself.
"Well, dragons don't wear clothes for a reason," she said.
"Don't get the ground all muddy with your 'bath.' Anyway, we have nothing to be ashamed of," he replied, his tail sticking straight up as he circled around, showcasing his small body.
"Nor do we, but it's different. I don't know how to explain it."
Hekla shook off the best she could before attempting to put her clothes back on. "I won't get the ground muddy. I didn't want to bathe completely in pond itself because I didn't want to dirty my drinking water."
"There are roots underneath where the water filters itself. How do you think it stays so clear?"
"How did the Aequorans know to do such a thing?" she said, a look of surprise on her face.
"Why do you constantly doubt the power and involvement of the Unseen Ones? Do you not realize that they wish to protect all the races?"
Hekla shrugged. "It's easy to forget about someone or something you can't see. It's not like they walk around introducing themselves and shaking hands with us."
Speltus let out an exasperated sigh. "You have so much to learn."
"Then let's get started," she retorted, fastening her gauntlets onto her wrists.
"The first thing we are going to start with is anticipating attack moves and how to deflect using your body, as well as your staff."
Hekla nodded.
"Back away from the pond's edge, and steady your footing. I'm going to do something quite grandiose, but I think it will help you practice better."
Speltus took in a very large breath, almost as if overcompensating.
"Personae imaginarium," Speltus finally said as he exhaled.
Before Hekla's very eyes, a translucent man appeared, his hair hung in golden waves. He wore a cream tunic, with a dark green vest and pants, and leather boots that reached mid shin.
"Holy crow!" Hekla jumped several feet in the air and dropped her staff. "Who is that?"
The man spoke with the voice of Speltus, "I am a make believe male embodiment of Speltus. My time is limited in this form, but I did it to train you. Listen closely to what I say and follow my lead. Understand?"
Hekla, mouth still agape, nodded again.
"When I punch my fist
forward to hit your face, you need to either roll your shoulders back, or drop to the ground. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she answered.
He slowly threw a punch at her, and she rolled her head back, avoiding contact.
"Good, now I'm going to go a little quicker. Make sure to watch my body movements and keep eye contact. I know you've practiced this with your sisters, but they had your best interests at heart. You need to learn to read people who want to harm you. All right?"
"All right."
He threw another punch with the opposite fist and she rolled her head to the left, again avoiding contact. Keeping her eyes focused on his, his translucence became more solidified as they sparred.
"Focus on both my upper and lower body, see if you can anticipate where I'm going to strike from."
Hekla held his stare, but also looked from the corner of her eye to see if his legs or arms twitched. She could feel his left leg swinging before he moved it, and she turned her body to the right to block it with her left forearm, before she threw her right fist that landed solidly on his cheek.
"Well done! Keep practicing rolling your body from side to side, as you get quicker you can avoid attacks and stay out of the way of unwanted kicks to the stomach, side, and chest."
They practiced for hours until she was dripping sweat and breathing heavily from the exertion.
"Much better. You're getting the hang of it. We need to work on your use of the staff when your body is too tired to cooperate. Like now, but I am losing my stamina to maintain this form so I am turning back into a dragon."
"Please do, a human with dragon eyes is a really creepy sight," she laughed wearily and crawled to the pond to drink.
"Well, a human with human eyes isn't much better," he teased.
After Hekla had enough to drink, and rinsed the sweat from her face with the cold water, Speltus called her back.
"All right, stand where you were before and grab your staff. These are going to be all upper body and will rely on your ability to wield your weapon swiftly, and with the right spell. So you're going to need to repeat these to yourself as often as it takes for you to memorize them. Also, since all life matters, you are to not kill with magic, that is against the rules."
"So, am I allowed to harm someone with magic?"
"It is preferred that you don't, the Unseen Ones created magic to bring peace. However, if it is necessary, as I suspect it will be in the days to come, you are allowed to use it for self-preservation. As such, I am going to teach you a few spells that will help you to protect yourself, but not harm another.”
"Hold your staff flat on your palms and grip it tightly. Then I want you to say, 'Tranquis Impartum.'"
Hekla did so, and saw the flash of magic emit from her orb, but nothing else happened.
"Speltus, nothing happened."
Her dragon was frozen, mid-air, and unable to move anything but his mouth.
"Very good, now say 'Tranquis Ceasum.'"
She complied, and he was released from the spell, flapping his wings again.
"For most spells, you can repeat the main word and say 'ceasum,' after and it will stop the spell from working. That is most, not all, like if you say 'Occulari Objectum,' you can temporarily render a person blind, but repeating it and saying 'ceasum' will do nothing, because it is a temporary spell and its effects dissipate within a few minutes. Does that make sense?"
She nodded. "Yes, should I repeat that one right now?"
"No! Just store it away and try to keep it at the forefront of your memory so if you are being attacked, you can say it, and the person attacking you will be rendered blind, allowing you to escape."
"Very good! Can I try the fire spell again, I'm actually quite cold and it would help."
"Yes, but you must make it small so that it doesn't fill the cavern with smoke and you end up suffocating. Also, place it nearer to the entrance, the air flow should suck the smoke out that way."
She nodded and made her way to the tunnel leading out.
"All right, this might be strange but do I need twigs and branches?"
"A human does, but no, dragon magic does not require such a thing. Just focus your orb toward where you want the fire, and say the spell," he instructed her.
"Pyrem Brillium," she said, pointing her weapon toward the ground. Immediately a large gush of flames shot up from the dirt nearly singeing them both.
"Yikes, you need to limit the flame! 'Pyrem brillium limitum,' he said immediately, and the flames shrunk to a more manageable size.
"My apologies," she said to him.
"No, don't worry about that. An oversight on my part, any time you need to limit the impact of a spell, or even make it more impactful, you must say either 'Limitum' or 'Expandum.' As you saw, 'Limitum' will decrease the impact of the spell, and 'expandum' will increase the impact of the spell."
"Makes sense," she said.
Already, Hekla's soul felt lighter. Her battle skills still needed sharpening, and she knew that she had many spells to learn, but he had taught her much in a short time. The dragon's magic was powerful. With the scepter and his help, she would be the most powerful of the three sisters.
"You've done well today, Hekla. Let's rest, and we will start fresh in the morning."
"Thank you, Speltus... for your patience, I mean. I'm glad you are my guide and not Lingaria, I think he would have choked the life out of me before we even got started," she joked.
"Lingaria is much older than I, and in that way, he has less patience. I myself as a young dragon didn't know much and had to be taught. Trust me, my training was not easy. I was stubborn and wanted to use magic on everything. I turned people into beasts, I turned beasts into people. It was not a good time for those around me."
Hekla laughed loudly, imagining such a thing.
"Well, at least I'm not that bad," she almost felt like she could pat herself on the back. "Wait, does that mean I can turn people into things?"
"Oh no, we aren't having that discussion tonight. You aren't ready yet." He smiled at her and waddled over to her mat. "Come lay down, human, let us rest."
"You're no fun," she said, but she was at peace, at least for the time being, but she also started learning to live in the moment.
22
Astrid
Choices are hard to make, especially when neither choice is ideal. How do you make your choice? Do you pick the lesser of the two evils? Do you choose blindly? The best option, when having to make a choice between two paths, is to weigh the pros and cons of each, and at the end of the day, decide which choice you will be able to live with when you look back.
King Arnott the Wise, Second King of Telluris, 323 A.V.
"Astrid, stop!" the wild Toverak yelled.
The creature leaned his head down, horns aimed directly for her stomach, ready to gut her like a fish. She reached for her bow, but it was nowhere to be found. She searched the ground frantically, but there was nothing but dirt and brush.
"I said stop! Wake up!" Why was the Toverak telling her to wake up?
No matter, she would kill it and be done and no one would be the wiser. If she could only find her bow.
The evil beast's nostrils flared at her, and then he was charging. I guess this is it, she thought. Astrid shifted her balance to jump from the creature's path.
"Astrid, you foolish woman!" Aronus stopped kicking her when her eyes fluttered open.
It took Astrid a moment to realize where she was, and as she looked around the barren cave, the only thing that caught her attention was the spattering of gravel throughout the damp cave bottom.
Her back was achy and stiff from the rock hard ground and as she sat up and became more aware, it finally dawned on her that the screaming Toverak in her dream, had only been a nightmare.
"Ugh, Aronus! That was terrible!" she yelled at him out of frustration. Her heart still racing as she calmed her nerves.
"I know. Take a deep breathe. It wasn't real. Anyway, I can guarantee th
at the beast you dreamed of, is nowhere near as terrifying as seeing it in real life," Aronus confirmed. "Be thankful that was just a dream."
"No empathy from you, huh?" Astrid asked, her eyes still heavy from lack of sleep, her throat scratchy from yelling in her nightmare.
"No, I suppose empathy is not my strong suit. Not to mention, I've met a wild Toverak. Your dream made it look like an angry child's play thing."
Astrid laughed. "Oh Aronus, I'm afraid I've much to learn from you."
"What does that mean?" He waddled over to her, the different shades of green on his body, complimenting her armor completely. She reached out and patted his little scaly head.
"I just mean I don't know you at all."
"Nothing could be truer, anyway. It's time for you to get up and about. We're a half day's journey before we come to the main path that will take you up The Great Mountain."
"Excellent!" Astrid said roughly, "I must have yelled quite a bit." She reached for her water pouch to hydrate for a moment before she continued her conversation with Aronus. "I can't believe we're so close. Have you figured out how we will stop the Caelestian soldiers?"
"On the main path, just before you reach the base of The Great Mountain that leads to Caelestis, there will be an army of Tellurian soldiers. They will try to stop you, because they see everything as belonging to them, even though Caelestis still belongs to its king and people. You will either need to fight them, or find your way around. Either path will have its problems."
Surveying the cave to make sure she had not left anything of value behind, she turned to him. "Do you mean that you will not tell me what to do?"
"I can only aide you, I cannot guide your steps. The final decision is always yours. Everything you do is a part of the journey."
"Any chance I could find provisions, maybe where the soldiers are camped?"
"Yes, the same place." Aronus nodded his head, his tail flicking back and forth.
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