by Jeff Gunzel
“I can’t even imagine the horrors you must have seen,” said Ilirra in a soft, caring voice. Her brilliant green eyes held no judgment or anger. “I just need you to know, whatever shadows and demons haunt your past, whoever you think you were before joining us—these things no longer matter. What you do from this day forward is who you are and exactly how your worth will be measured for the rest of your life.”
Addel was so full of emotion that she couldn’t even speak. Her lip quivered in the presence of a lady so full of power, it seemed to radiate around her, yet so full of love, just the look in her eyes could heal the sick and mend a broken soul.
Ilirra leaned down and kissed Addel’s forehead. “We welcome you, and I am honored to receive your help,” she whispered in her ear. With that, Ilirra disappeared around the corner, leaving them to their work.
Berkeni just smiled at Addel. Nodding his head slightly, he said one word to the teary-eyed woman who had finally found a place to call home: “Love.”
* * *
When the two of them got back to the room, Berkeni walked over to the shelf with the jars of little weird creatures and pulled out a small, yellow envelope that was stuck between two dusty old books. He opened it and shook it over his empty hand. A silver ring fell into his palm. He held it up towards Addel, knowing full well she would recognize its worth.
“A tracer ring,” she said with confidence. The thick, silver ring had a flat surface where some type of jewel would otherwise go. Engraved on the surface was a roaring lion. “So I’m assuming Jade has the other?” Addel knew tracer rings were always made in pairs and were generally identical to one another.
Berkeni nodded as he slipped it on. He sighed loudly. “I hate to be the one to deliver such grave news.”
Chapter 8
Eric, Jacob, and Shantis loitered just outside the stable while the four massive horses were being saddled. Their demeanor didn’t seem to match the aggressive looks of the beasts. Each jet-black horse stood perfectly still while their smallish tails flipped back and forth as if they were happy dogs. With the occasional stomping of a front hoof followed by an impatient snort, they seemed almost eager.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Eric as he eyed Shantis in her large, hooded, tan cloak. She wore a white leather belt with a black sheath attached to house her rather plain-looking long-sword. Soft, tan traveling boots made from some sort of hide wrapped her large feet and crawled up her shins, just shy of her knees. Her back was strapped with a brown quiver filled with black-feathered arrows that were both long and thick and were very nearly spears to a human, given their width. The hope was that this outfit would allow her to ride freely throughout the world of humans. Due to her size, she would have to pretend to be a man, and do her best to avoid speaking to anyone.
“Yesss, I’m sssure,” she replied in that slow, hissing drawl. “How do I look?” she asked playfully as she twirled in a circle while holding her palms up.
“Like a very large monk,” smiled Jacob, unable to contain how fully entertained he was by the whole idea. He teased her by tugging on her cloak and pretending to smooth it out, all the while trying his best to look like a serious tailor.
Eric looked away, not wanting them to see him grinning at the circus. He had to admit it was going to be sort of fun trying to sneak her around. After all, she was going to have to speak to Queen Ilirra sooner or later. Now seemed just a good a time as any.
Suddenly they could see Jade, who had been busy packing the last of her things, running full speed towards the stable, as if she were being chased. On pure instinct alone, Eric drew his sword and began sprinting towards her just as fast. Panic filled him as he saw the woman he loved running with reckless abandon towards something—away from something—with horror-filled eyes.
He needed to save her...from nothing...from everything... Love never makes much sense. It makes men do stupid things that seem more important than the world at the time they’re doing it.
It took an eternity to reach her. She leaped into his arms as his falling sword clanged loudly against the ground. “What? What is it? I’m here,” he whispered breathlessly in her ear as he held her tightly.
She peeled her head back from his shoulder and stared hard into his eyes, her own blue orbs glistening wet with unshed tears. “Berkeni just contacted me,” she stuttered in a broken voice. “We are at war!”
* * *
They were clearly going to need to postpone their trip for a bit. Everything had just changed, and some sort of plan was sorely needed. They sat in the small meeting room, seated around an old, round, wooden table, possibly the only piece of furniture anyone had seen in the village that wasn’t made of bone.
A small blaze crackled in the stone fireplace, giving off unneeded heat but welcome light. Two additional oil lamps hanging from adjacent walls helped to illuminate the gloomy room. The hard floor was covered with an old, green carpet, and there were no pictures, tapestries, or art of any kind to help cover the bare, dark-stained wooden walls, which seemed to soak up a great deal of the precious light. An old, unrolled map lay on the table, with goblets placed on the corners to help keep it that way.
Shantis slowly slid her chair back as she began to rise. Her expression was understandably solemn and bleak, but something else burned in her eyes as well: disgust. She paced back and forth across the green carpet with her dark lips pulled back in a permanent snarl, all her pearl-white teeth on display.
“You humans are like children!” she finally screamed, throwing both her arms towards the floor with balled fists. Then, slamming those same fists down on the table, she shrieked, “You kill each other over fear of the unknown. For political gain, to take what doesn’t belong to you. I’ve even seen your cities wage battle just to prove who is stronger.”
Everyone sat quietly while she pulled back her hands from the table and crossed her arms over her chest. “No,” she said, her slow, hissing drawl returning once again. Her yellow eyes narrowed with anger. “Not children. You are like animalsss with the mossst primitive, mindlessss insstinctsss, where killing is alwaysss welcomed asss the firssst option!”
“Shantis, please, this isn’t helping anything,” said Jade as she reached across the table, out of range to touch her, but just attempting to make the symbolic gesture.
“She’s right, you know,” said Jacob as he leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers behind his head. “Look at these guys.” He pointed with his chin towards Shantis. “They have lived here in peace for all these years, every one of them working together for generations now. Our people could learn a thing or two from the crytons.”
Eric turned his head to face the tall leader while still remaining seated. “Look, I can only imagine how our people must look to you right now, but criticizing and pointing fingers is not going to change what’s happening out there at the moment. We are at war, and no matter whose fault that is, we have to do something, or Taron is going to be wiped out.”
Eric stood from his chair and stared hard into Shantis’ bright yellow eyes. The aggressive gesture made her draw back a bit. His threateningly soft voice made him seem all the more intimidating. “I’m sorry you find this little war...inconvenient, but we are at war nonetheless. Are humans violent by our very nature? Certainly. Do we kill our own brothers out of both greed and fear? Absolutely. But pointing out our flawed instincts does nothing to change the situation.”
For a moment, she almost appeared meek as she drew in on herself. The fire in her eyes was gone, now replaced by shame.
“Shantis,” Eric said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Taron needs your help.” He motioned towards the table with a wide, sweeping hand. “We need your help.”
She couldn’t help avoiding his eyes as she spoke. “I’m sssorry. I didn’t mean to let my anger get the bessst of me.” Her lips pressed together hard as she fought back against the private joke that just didn’t seem appropriate at this moment. Giving up the losing battle, she raised her eyes to
Eric’s. “It ssseems I have more in common with humansss than I thought.”
A badly needed chuckle rippled through the room. “Well then,” she said while shaking her head. “I must gather volunteers, but I already have a good idea of who they will be. In one week’s time, expect my arrival with forty of my best. You three must go now.” A smile threatened itself as one corner of her mouth turned up. “A ssshame. I wasss looking forward to traveling with you all...my friendsss.”
“We will meet again soon,” Jade promised as she rose from her seat. “Thank you.” She embraced Shantis warmly before kissing her cheek. “Jacob, are you ready?” she called over her shoulder.
Jacob seemed heavily distracted with the map weighted down across the table. They had been trying to decide where Taron might be able to call for aid. After all, many of the local economies depended heavily on the city in some fashion. They must certainly have an interest as to whether or not Taron was still around after the siege had ended.
It looked as if Taron had probably already covered most of the probable sources for help already. Jade knew they had sent riders to both Athsmin and Denark. Athsmin had a larger military but was a greedy, semi-corrupt town that would almost certainly demand substantial coin for their aid. Denark was purely a trade town and not military-based at all. However, they had always held a good business standing with the Queen, and would probably do what they could despite their minimal resources.
“Jade, what is this?” he asked, pointing to a small orange house on the map. The house symbol clearly highlighted the spot as a town. It was only between twenty-five and thirty miles north of Taron.
“Oh, that’s the town of Corper,” she sighed with a roll of her eyes as she waved her hand dismissively, “a small town that’s run by thieves, leathers, and total corruption. Don’t even bother.”
“Well, why not?” he asked, with strong objection ringing in his voice. “I think a pack of mercenaries is just what we need. They work for coin and have no loyalty to the Dronin.”
Jade once again dismissed the absurd notion with a flick of her hand. She just figured Jacob’s thoughts were becoming desperate, which was completely understandable.
With final hugs and goodbyes, the three friends headed to the stables with their lightly packed bags. The horses were already saddled and ready when they got there. It was a simple task from there to load the surprisingly tame horses with their meager equipment. Within minutes, they were off.
They galloped down the dirt path as both children and adults alike waved their arms in the air, jumping up and down while yelling out their goodbyes. The same thoughts occurred to the three of them as they returned all the waves. When they first made this journey, a journey that seemed like it had happened years ago, they all shared the same fears of what they might find. Would the crytons be hostile? Would they accept them as friends? Now that it was actually time to leave, it was a bittersweet feeling.
Ironic, Eric thought to himself. Shantis was absolutely right. We humans are always afraid of the things we don’t understand. How have we even survived this long?
* * *
Dragot leaned back in his golden throne shrouded in soft, red cushions. The top end was rounded across with jewels of various colors. The demon eyed his fine fifteen-foot tapestries that hung from two opposite walls.
He was really just buying time to recover after receiving the “gift” he had asked for from Krytoes. Dragot was not sure he could recall ever feeling so much pain in his life. It seemed as if Krytoes had made it worse than it needed to be just for the sake of punishing him—punishment surely earned by those idiotic winged creatures Krytoes had sent to aid him in the first place; blame that belonged squarely on those domesticated humans that were hardly more than animals. How could blame ever be passed on to him?
No matter. I now have the simple gift I need to take matters into my own hands. It was true. For the great demon to offer just a sliver of his power was really not all that hard, especially with the planets moving closer and closer to the perfect alignment. Krytoes still could not enter this world...yet...but his presence was gaining strength by the day.
Dragot finally rose from his great throne, shaking his head as the recovery continued. Drifting across the smooth, black, marble floor, he headed for his secret door: the entrance into his customized paradise, where he could think privately about his next move. Briggits scrambled about as he glided along with his head high and level. With the slight boost in power he had received, tracking down the man-child should be easy enough. It’s time to have a little fun with the boy who thinks to threaten my immortality!
He stepped through his secret door and wandered out into the paradise, allowing himself a slight smile as he felt the new energy pulsing through him—energy that his demon body accepted quite eagerly. He felt whole. Reaching out with his mind, probing, searching, the power flowed through him like a river. I can feel you, Gate Keeper!
* * *
The horses galloped on with amazing agility and speed, no doubt used to the dense terrain of bushes and trees. Even speeding along on horseback, the path seemed hauntingly familiar to them despite the almost identical scenery.
It seemed a lifetime ago when they had last followed along this lonely trail. Their minds had been in a completely different place. Dark thoughts threatened to consume them all as they pushed on through the never-ending journey none were even sure they wanted to conclude. They’d embarked on a search for beings no one had seen in centuries, or so they had thought, looking for humanoids that were just as likely to kill them as provide help...if they found them at all.
Eric recalled how devastated he was when Jade had stopped speaking to him for days. He had never felt so lost, so full of despair. He knew he loved her even then, and the pain was almost enough to drive him mad. Eric now accepted those dark thoughts, allowed them to creep into his newfound reality. That very suffering was part of what changed him...molded him...made him who he was now.
But of all the anguish he had been forced to endure during a time filled with endless trials, none bit deeper into his heart than the loss of Morcel. The man had given his own life just so Eric had the chance to escape. At the time, Eric’s importance was really an unknown—Eric still wasn’t convinced of his importance then. But Morcel didn’t see it that way, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Eric was fully aware he would be forced to live with that black guilt for the rest of his life. Yet another life lost because of me.
As they dashed past the thick trees wrapped in bark black as night, yet more stinging guilt flashed through him. They were at war because of him! At least, that would be the excuse used to justify the glorious deaths of thousands.
But despite the darkness seeping into his thoughts, watching Jade ride next him as she gazed back while flashing a wink and a smile made his heart ache. He loved her so much, it hurt. Eric shook away the momentary yet wonderful distraction. How can I be so greedy? So many lives at stake…lives he needed to preserve any way he could.
No, he was not deserving of love right now. These fleeting thoughts of love and warmth were a luxury he couldn’t afford, that Taron couldn’t afford. The rules he lived by were never to be forgotten. He would give everything he had to protect Jade, to save her from the very world itself if that burden were to fall to him, but right now there was even more at stake, no matter how much it hurt him to admit that. I will do what needs to be done, no matter the cost.
They finally approached the exact point of the forest where they had entered the first time. It once again gave the appearance of being a solid wall of thick vegetation from fifty feet away or so, but as they trotted the horses closer to the edge, the slight crack of sunlight peeking through seemed to grow much more than a crack. It seemed as if the forest had decided to allow them to leave, much the same as when it granted entrance the first time.
The glaring sunlight flooding through the passage was nearly blinding as they rode into the whitened tunnel of leaning trees. Dashing out int
o the green field, each one inhaled sharply. The seemingly frigid air felt similar to a burst of winter cold after leaving the hot, humid forest. The shocking sensation was puzzlingly odd, really. For one, the air really was not that cold at all. It just seemed that way because of the sudden change. But that was a mere reminder of the other oddity that was hard to grasp. The air had not gotten progressively cooler as they approached the edge of the forest; it had remained consistently hot and humid right until they were clear of the very last tree.
Once they were able to take a few deep breaths, the coolness of the air was actually quite refreshing. The beautiful mounts bucked their heads and stomped their front hooves several times, echoing the others’ yearning to be off once more.
A new vigor and eagerness had welled in the young heroes. They were sent here against all odds to accomplish something extraordinary and had fully completed their task. Now brimming with confidence, a new, greater challenge had presented itself.
A final look back at the forest stirred mixed feelings in the trio. They had come here seeking the legendary race of killers feared for both their ingenuity and combat prowess, a race thought long gone but feared by all, if even through exaggerated tales passed down from one generation to the next. Instead, now they were leaving behind lifelong friends —friends and allies that would soon be depended upon.
The swirling emotions finally settled into a vague form of acceptance that the world was far too large to ever believe a single individual could bring change without the aid of others who shared the same dream; acceptance that there was still good in the world and humans just might find a way to survive if they ever learned to work together.
Now off to Taron...off to war!
These strong mounts were no less than Shantis had promised. They dashed across the landscape of Tarmerria, the light summer breeze feeling like a hurricane against their riders’ squinting faces. Jade’s black robe whipped like a flag behind her, making a cracking sound every so often when the manufactured wind caught it just right.