Minzkala

by Amy E Hix

  Below the seating area there was an open floor made of different colors of flat stone where the patrons could dance. The music was coming from the corner of the arboretum, played by a few local musicians on flutes, sitaras, and skin-covered drums.

  Winge led us over to a table near the dancing area. He was a spirited, tall human from Nebal. His skin was dark, and he had blue eyes the color of the ocean. His blonde-brown hair was cut to his chin and was woven into loose dreads. He wore a large thick robe, dark blue in color. It made his eyes stand out. His stave was black steel, spiraling up from the handpiece to the tip and carried a dark blue sphere in the middle of a decorated loop. He was young and seemed anxious to enjoy his evening.

  The hostess brought out a table full of steins for us and a pitcher of Dwarven Ale. After filling our glasses, Solecreation made the toast, “To the strength of brotherhood, may it fill us tonight and lead us to victory over the Digvi’ja.”

  “Hear, hear” we said in unison and took a drink. Small conversations erupted around the table.

  “Where in all of Maralune would one need to travel to find Turchaesh?” Natasul asked me, curious about the Imperial Elves.

  I was glad to answer him. I got these questions all the time and it amused me to think of home again. It seemed very few people knew the history of the Imperial Elves and some never knew they even existed.

  My skin was the color of slate and smooth. My hair was long and wavy, jet-black. I was taller than everyone else, even Solecreation by about a head. I don’t think you’d call me stout, but I’m pretty muscular. My eyes slant and are colored hazel, with very pronounced streaks of emerald green.

  Winge said he knew a few Imperial Elves from the port cities of Nebal. There were very few of us left on the Islands, and even fewer throughout the rest of Gael.

  “The Tokage Islands, in the southern waters of the Gaemic Ocean. Most of us live in the capital city or the village located near the volcanoes. Almost all of us are fishermen of some sort, but deep inside the Caverns, our people search for rare minerals and gems. My mother, Stheta, lives in Minzkala and serves on the Court of the Ancients.”

  Everyone looked at me wide-eyed. It was a habit for me to include her as part of who I am. Not only was I proud to have her as a mother, I secretly loved the attention it gave me. And now that I was becoming more attentive to my bragging spirit, I ate those words as soon as they left my mouth and started fidgeting with my stein.

  “I’ve been there once,” Aurala spoke up, “I was working for Mid-South Trading Company. Shortly after they promoted me to handle the acquisitions, my boss sent a crew of us down there to finalize a few trade arrangements. It’s beautiful, and the people are great, especially the High Chief, Larawaine.”

  I’ll have to thank Aurala for the save later. I smiled, thinking of the High Chief again. Then it dawned on me. I had forgotten to give the letter to King Naethan. I decided to do that as soon as we met them in Sapir.

  Aurala took another sip from her stein and then asked, “So, who wants to dance?”

  Wingaeltan had been itching since we got there and quickly volunteered. “Let’s go,” he said as he led her out to the floor.

  Alysias and Ryan quickly joined them. Alysias looked nice paired up with the Halfling. She was also wearing black leather armor. There was no color added to her clothing, other than the silver of her swords and some buckles throughout her armor. Her hair was even jet-black, which looked nice against her darkened skin. She had been wearing it pulled back in order to perform her Nebalian Blade Maven tricks but had it down now.

  With the others dancing, Natasul seemed to have an easier time working up enough nerve to ask Jaerra to dance. As he led her out, I noticed she was wearing a dark green skirt that draped down to mid-thigh, two small knives dangling with it. Her cloak flowed all the way to the ground behind her. Both armor pieces looked good with her dark skin somewhere between gray and purple in color. I noticed Natasul said very little to her as they danced. Yep, he likes her.

  The night was full of dancing and conversation, and none of it was about fighting or the war or troubles with the Legion. We simply sat back and relaxed, enjoying the fellowship of new friends.

  When it was time to go back to our quarters, I left with a feeling of acceptance from the rest of them. A new bond had been formed for the eight of us, one that would continue to grow with time.

  We could have stayed out all night without the cares and concerns of the world on our minds, but we all knew Maralune would benefit from our good night’s sleep, a small sacrifice we so willingly gave.

  The crisp, cool air of morning felt refreshing on Natasul’s face as he walked the streets of Rhalas to Solecreation’s house. There were few faces to greet for it was still very early. A couple of older gentlemen said hello as they made their way into one of the pubs for their morning meeting amongst friends, looking forward to the smells of coffee that would now fill the place.

  Remnants of cricket and frog music still filled the air, and the Sun hadn’t yet made it into the skyline overlooking the city. All Natasul could think about this morning was her—her hair, as he lifted it from her shoulder while they danced; her smell, as he caught it from the gentle breeze that marked their movements together; the way she felt in his arms and the way she smiled at him before they parted.

  Jaerra tried to look at things differently that evening. She had learned to blow off romantic ideas in this world full of war. Since there was no assurance of being around the same person for very long, trying to sustain a relationship in all the chaos was just too hard for her to think about.

  In the meantime, she would enjoy herself and let the dancing and flirting take her mind off the heavy thoughts of war, as it should. But still, he did make her smile, and a warm thought to carry around could never be a bad thing.

  The knocking on Solecreation’s door woke him. He rose to open the door to Natasul and invited him in. His living area resembled a cottage room. The ceiling slanted, starting high on one end and lowering as it moved toward the back area of the house. The beams running along the ceiling were darker.

  He had the place decorated with swords mostly, trophies mounted on the walls from various battles fought by his ancestors. There were books and statues set on his shelves and bookcases, and his orange tabby cat, Klahz, was perched on the back of a chair in the corner of the room.

  “How’d you sleep?” Natasul politely asked as he sat himself down.

  “Mmm,” still stretching himself out, Solecreation rubbed his face and said, “Good, good, you?”

  “Ok, I guess. Not like I would have in my own bed, but I feel rested. Take your time; I’m in no hurry.”

  Natasul picked up a book from the table beside him and began to flip through it as he waited for Solecreation to get his things together. It was a book on armor, full of fascinating variations of leather and mail armor worn by the warriors who fought in the great battle against the Caliginos.

  He noticed where improvements had been made for the warriors of the present day, and in some cases, there were terrible war pictures to illustrate exactly why the improvements were needed. When he heard Solecreation’s sword entering its sheath, he put the book down and stood to his feet.

  “All right, let’s go,” Solecreation grabbed his supply pack and headed toward the door. They walked down the street to the bakery to grab a bite to eat. “Did you have a good time last night?” he smugly asked Natasul.

  “Yeah, it was fun. You know how I like to meet new people.”

  Solecreation laughed, “More like new girl.”

  After they had eaten, they decided to head down to catch Captain Kellerson near the Champion’s Hall. Solecreation wanted to get first dibs on having his team in the Coterie for a few practice rounds that morning. Captain Kellerson wasn’t standing outside like usual, but they met Lieutenant Richland there.

  “Mor
ning guys. Out a little early I see.” The Lieutenant and Solecreation exchanged salutes. “You guys did a great job out there yesterday.”

  “Eh, well, we could have done better,” Solecreation replied. “A few cards didn’t fall in our favor, I suppose. I don’t think we’ll have another run like that anyway. We were stopping by to talk to Captain Kellerson about using the Coterie sometime this morning. We wanted to run a few practice rounds.”

  “He hasn’t made it in yet, but we discussed that last night at the officer’s meeting. He’s going to open it up for everyone. They’ve added a new feature that allows three teams to run at once, so even if everyone wants to practice, it should be pretty easy to get in a couple of rounds.”

  “That sounds perfect. Thanks.” Solecreation saluted Lieutenant Richland once more and he and Natasul headed toward the Coterie Courtyard. When they got there, they sat at the same table as the previous day and drank their coffee.

  “You know, Alysias was awesome out there yesterday,” Natasul opened the discussion, “She had her head in the game from the beginning.”

  “Yes, she did. That’s one heck of a Blade Maven all right. Winge, too. The way he talked about his previous experience in battle and ideas on strategy made me feel a lot better about the group we’ve got going.”

  “Morning,” Winge said as he approached the table.

  “Speak of the devil,” Solecreation said as he and Natasul smiled, “Think we might need a little clarity out there in the field today.” Solecreation elbowed Natasul with a big grin, and Natasul rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help but smile himself.

  “I’ve got you covered,” Winge told him, “I figured it would help us all out today, so I stopped by the Spell Spot on my way over and picked up a few focus stones. I’m going to head over to the Champion’s Hall and warm up before we get started.”

  “Good idea; I’ll come with you,” Natasul stood with Winge to follow him out.

  Solecreation took another drink of his coffee, “I’m going to sit tight for a minute and catch any others that might come. Then I’ll join you guys.”

  Natasul and Winge left to go to the Champion’s Hall. They went upstairs to find an open position on the roof. There were stations set up that gave the warriors a place to practice their skills.

  Circled barriers on the floor formed a ring of sorts, an area in which they could match up against an opponent. The stations branched off the roof of the hall and onto the battlements of the city.

  Natasul and Winge found a quiet spot on one of the areas and prepared to duel. The Sun was now rising in the distance on the eastern horizon. Birds began to fill the skies and various woodland creatures popped their heads out to greet the day.

  “Morning ladies, Morning Ryan,” Four of the team members showed up in the Coterie Courtyard together. Solecreation rose to his feet with gentlemen’s courtesy as they approached the table. Aurala, Jaerra and Alysias took a seat around the table.

  “I found these three buying up the place over in the Trade Square,” Ryan grinned and shook Solecreation’s hand.

  Solecreation let them know where Natasul and Winge were, “Have you all had a chance to warm up this morning?” he asked them.

  Aurala answered, “We have,” she looked at Ryan to exclude him from the group of girls. Then she spoke again to Solecreation, “We thought we would try to get here as early as possible. We weren’t sure what time you wanted to try to run the Coterie, but we wanted to be ready just in case.”

  “I haven’t warmed up yet,” Ryan spoke out, “What about you?”

  “Not yet. I was waiting for more people to show, and then I was going to join Natasul and Winge at the Champion’s Hall. Why don’t we head there now and let the ladies here tell Turk when he shows?” Solecreation stood up and drank the last of his coffee.

  Ryan gathered his supply pack from the ground, “Sounds like a plan.”

  Turk

  I was the last to arrive. I needed some time away to refocus, so I decided to get ready in the Cathedral. I spent most of the time thinking about what King Naethan had said to me back in Minzkala. After replaying our conversation at least a dozen times, I began to envision the culmination of my role in this great story; past, present, and future. The pieces grew seamless; each experience, each ability, each and every person, each and every situation. They fit perfectly together with purpose and created an undeniable hope within me. I would make this my North Star. It would help me maintain my focus on keeping the others alive.

  When I met up with the others, everything felt different. We had all come well-prepared for the Coterie runs and upon receiving our first assignment from the gatekeeper; we began to tackle the mission at hand.

  Fifteen

  An Assignment to Lift My Spirits

  Kaliesto

  I was on the Palace Balcony in Minzkala long before anyone else that first morning. I didn’t want to bother Mabashi, knowing how my Dwarf companion liked his sleep.

  A few cooks were setting up the area for our morning meal. I walked around the ledges of the city, admiring the view. I thought about how I would love to see Sigge and Raffe again, and I wondered what they might be doing for the Ancients.

  Then my thoughts turned to Cyrow again. Every minute we sat around doing nothing was wasted time in my eyes. I was anxious to get started on the rescue mission; and I was glad to find it was also important to Zaaid.

  “Good morning, Kal,” came a voice from around the corner. Think of the devil. It was Zaaid coming to the pavilion; he had spotted me through the foliage on his way over, “I trust you had a good night’s sleep.”

  “Yes, it was a lot better than the forest floor, that’s for sure,” I told him. He smiled.

  “I’m actually very glad to see you up here. Stheta has informed me that your brother’s partner has returned. I’m supposed to meet them both before the other warriors start arriving.” He stepped out closer to the ledge and peered into the city.

  “Good news?” I asked him.

  “I’m not sure what she found out yet, but they should be here any minute. We can find out together.”

  Zaaid seemed uncomfortable talking about my missing brother. He was probably unsure about how I would react, so we just stood in silence in the cool, morning air.

  If we could find him, we could stop his transformation into a Cerapithalis. However, we would basically have to comb the entire world in three weeks to do so. Zaaid probably thought the same as me about Cyrow’s rescue—the sooner the better. The few minutes we stood there began to feel like an eternity. The anxiety of the situation crept in on me. The weight of the uncertainty seemed almost unbearable.

  I think Zaaid understood somehow. As Forest Elves, we center our lives on family. That’s one of the reasons my brothers and I were called to represent Minzkala. A bond as strong as ours was something many leaders referred to when trying to illustrate cohesiveness in any branch of the military. They said it would unleash courage and determination like nothing else. Now if we could just get our force back together.

  A striking sense of fear washed over me when Stheta and Zarathustria walked onto balcony. Zaaid walked toward them.

  He smiled warmly at the young Skadowan, who had the same glow as Vamble and Welkin. “Zarathustria! Glad to have you back! Come, meet Cyrow’s brother. This is Kaliesto, or Kal as they call him.”

  “Ah, I’m glad you made it here all right. You and Cyrow favor each other very much.”

  I had to smile at her comment. I had heard it too many times to count. Then I said all I could spit out at the time, “Very pleased to meet you.”

  “Did you have any problems with the Warlords?” Zaaid asked her rather quickly.

  “None at all.”

  “Then your powers as an Enchantress are very strong, as I knew they would be. Come, let’s all have a seat,” he motioned for the three of us to follow
him to the end of the table under the pavilion.

  Zarathustria began right away, “I’m sure you’re all anxious to hear what I’ve managed to find out, so I’ll spare us the formalities. They’ve sent Cyrow and the Cerapithalis that tainted him north, to Vahael. They plan to hold him there until the transformation is complete. From all I could gather, they know he is important to the Ancients; that all the warriors traveling through the Mourtaire Forest are.

  “Are they aware of our plans?” Zaaid asked.

  “Yes…somewhat. They are making plans to face us in battle. Their speculations have led them to believe that a battle is what will indeed come from it all. However, instead of staying near the Byhalian Islands and Vahael, they are currently moving their forces to the Sapiran Highlands.

  “They hope that we will waste time hunting down the new location, and that they will have a jump start that will assure their victory over us. The mountain ranges in the Highlands will form a natural wall for their stronghold and the open areas will give them more room to fight. There was something about help from the south, and already, Killian the Sorcerer is using the Orcs to rebuild Aheb’an.”

  The Sapiran Highlands were just as Zarathustria had described them, a barrier of impassable mountains with only two open valleys through which to enter. The caves and tunnels throughout the mountain chain were home to the Orcs.

  Created by using an infusion spell, Sorcerers had grown Orcs from the miry clay of the earth. Because they had no natural birth, they also had no natural desires. No desire to eat or sleep. They were soulless beings, chained by magic to obey the commands of their creators.

  If the Ancients wished to enter the Highlands, they had two choices: to sail into the Bay of Sapir and travel by land through the valley in the southwestern corner or navigate to the eastern shore of Sapir and follow the treacherous Woodland Pass in the southern wall of the mountains.

  Zarathustria looked down to think of more to add to what she had said, “There is a problem they foresee with that area.” Zaaid looked at her again when she said this.