Minzkala

by Amy E Hix

  With weapons drawn, we stood there for nearly half an hour as the Cerapithali flew past us. They made sure to stay out of range of the ships but were close enough that I could see every detail of their dog-boy filthiness.

  The order to attack them never came. At one point, I could see the frontlines of the group easing back up to higher elevations. They had decided to leave us alone.

  Traveling at night through the waters between Maralune and Sapir, Captain Kellerson hoped to have us near the Orc’s trading docks at daylight. Within a day or so, we would be searching for the crevice Pinky spoke of.

  I was enjoying my time with my aunt. She was more carefree than my mother, and often as a child, I was able to get away with foolish things in her care. It boosted my spirits to be with her. My teammates loved her, too.

  But she also left me with the reminder of the empty spot I had acquired since she and my mother had moved to Minzkala. I missed the times we were all together.

  The lights from the nighttime skies were unobstructed in the cooler, northern waters, leaving a shimmering path ahead of us. We sat at the table for the longest time, none of us able to fall asleep very well at sea.

  I saw the Captain walk over to where Solecreation was standing. Ryan was with him at the time. I overheard him when he spoke to Solecreation.

  “We’re going to gather the team leaders on the back deck for a meeting to discuss our plans once we arrive in Sapir. Go ahead and make your way there now. Feel free to grab any other team leaders you see along the way,” Captain Kellerson ordered him.

  Solecreation informally saluted the Captain and, with Pinky and Kelara, headed toward the back of the ship. We had been trying to tire ourselves with warm drinks at the table while we discussed a multitude of topics. Ryan joined us there.

  “Where’s he going?” asked Winge, noticing the direction in which Solecreation was walking.

  “Meeting with the team leaders about Sapir,” Ryan responded.

  We watched as a few leaders were led across the water from the other ships, levitated by Illusionists, who were so much faster than dinghies.

  “I guess I’ll wait until he returns. I’m sort of anxious to hear what he has to say,” Natasul said, “I’m not sure how they plan to get over those mountains. I would have thought we’d head for the Bay and travel back up through the pass, but there must be something wrong with that idea.”

  “I think I heard them talking about going through the mines a little earlier. A secret passageway or something to that effect,” I told him, “When I asked Pinky and Kelara about the Orcs, they said we wouldn’t find any in that part of the mountains. I’m glad they’re coming along with us, though. There’s just something about the way of the Ancients that keeps me from worrying about things.”

  “I’ve learned a lot from them,” Aurala said. “They told me how travel between the worlds works; some sort of portal far more powerful than what the Sorcerers of the Digvi’ja are capable of creating. Apparently, it requires the help of Black Yaons that already fly between the worlds. By studying their migration patterns, people have used the giant birds to plant portal receivers on the surfaces of other worlds. I thought it was all something made up.”

  “I see…” Alysias chimed in, “I knew the Ancients were from the world of Celestra. And I wondered how they knew so much about the other worlds. I suppose that answers my question.”

  Everywhere I went people seemed fascinated by the Ancients. I think because I had known them all my life, I probably took them for granted. The truth is, they had become a huge part of my life.

  While I was thinking about them, and my mother, it dawned on me. We were going to war. There were so many things that flooded my mind, things I wanted to tell the King, to tell my mother.

  I was so wrapped up in the whole Rhalas situation that I forgot to say how much I appreciated them being a part of my life. I made the decision to correct that once we were all together in Sapir.

  When Solecreation returned, he answered our questions with everything he knew. He had a small box of Skadowan glasses to pass out along with information about the Luminomes.

  After lengthy conversations about what we thought might happen and what sort of monstrous elements we would be up against, we eventually retired to our quarters to sleep.

  Daylight came and we spent some time on the training deck to keep our skills sharpened. We also sharpened our blades and packed bags from the supply lines set in various stations throughout the deck. We were told that before night fell again, we would be in the caverns.

  The morning air was filled with a deep fog, slowly rising from the waters. There was nothing but water all around as the ships sailed on somewhere in the middle of the Northern Gaemic Ocean.

  After a feast at noon, we gathered out on the decks again and looked around, all of us in our pockets of new acquaintances.

  I began to see the land of Sapir off to the right of the ship. It looked like a small island rather than a continent because we were sailing a great distance from the shore to avoid detection.

  When the mountains of the land became visible, I realized we were passing the dwelling place of the Orcs. Our direction of travel had changed from northeast to due east and I figured it wouldn’t be long before we reached our destination.

  I began to hear voices shouting from the ship’s bow. They grew more harried within moments of hearing the first one. Movement by the crew in front told me something wasn’t going as planned.

  In front of the ship was a massive whirlpool, one that stretched half the length of the armada. As the crew tried to turn out of the path of the whirlpool, I could feel the outer edges of the twisting water shifting the ship, spinning us sideways and then carrying us in a circular pattern. The water beneath the ship began to boil.

  A giant beast then sprang from the center of the whirlpool. It was a sea serpent, but not just any serpent. Its head was the size of a house, and it had spiked teeth that stood nearly as tall as me. On the belly of its neck were pectoral gills, a sort of grating area for anything that entered, for they were nothing more than a wall of cartilaginous blades.

  It rose from the waters to stand tall above the ships, its snake-like body thrusting out. Then it splashed back down, creating a tidal wave of water that rushed over the ships, throwing a few warriors completely off into the ocean below. The giant waves that followed helped to carry us farther away from the area, but they didn’t stop the serpent from coming after us.

  It swam with enormous speed through the waters, its spiny scales rippling through the surface like the fin of a shark, leaving wakes of water behind it. As it approached one of the other ships, it leapt from the water and forced its sword-like fins onto the side of the ship, tipping the boat completely over. The men began to swim for another ship, but some of them were sucked up by the serpent.

  Then, from the sky above, three Rocs let out loud screeches and flew down with massive speed. King Naethan had sent them to watch over our journey through the sea and when they spied the serpent, they flew in to attack it.

  Grasping hold of the scales along the beast’s body with their talons, they pecked their sharp beaks in through the tough outer lining of the serpent.

  When all three Rocs had a firm grasp, they began to flap their thirty-foot wings hard, moving the serpent into the air slowly. They dragged the beast across the waters, far from the ships, pecking at it the whole way, tearing into its flesh.

  The wounded beast struggled to make an escape from their talons, thrashing its body back and forth. When it broke free, it made a quick dive deep into the water. The Rocs continued to circle around the area, flying low and waiting for the beast to resurface, but it never did.

  The water slowly calmed around the ships and the warriors from the overturned ship made their way onto the other three. Fourteen were missing, whether devoured by the beast or pulled under the waters by
the current.

  Those who had fallen into the sea began to catch their breath, and some were taken to the medical unit. I followed them over, helping as much as I could.

  Silence filled the ships’ decks once all of them were boarded and safe. Those missing included the class leader of the Pyromancers, Alkrin; a great loss. I could tell Aurala knew him well.

  We had to move away from the area as soon as possible, so the crews were instructed by Captain Kellerson to immediately continue traveling east. The Spirit Healers aboard each ship called on the winds and increased our getaway speed. The Rocs stayed low with us for some time.

  I wondered what this would do to morale. We still had a big fight ahead of us and we would need our strength of will. After all the stories I had heard from Sapir, generations of people enduring this sort of pestilence and tragedy over the span of two to three-hundred years, how long could a little hope persist?

  Twenty-Two

  One Down, One to Go

  Fouad

  I stayed around the city with Shelija, Mank and Valkryiex. We were all older than the rest of the group. I met Shelija and Mank while he was attending a few classes in the Cathedral in Vicete.

  Mank, Shelija and I were still youngsters when we met Valkryiex on the battlefields of Zemylar. A few of the other warriors were at that battle, too. But I didn’t really get to know them until we all came to Minzkala together.

  The four of us planned to stay in the city and shop a while, and then sit in the courtyard with a few drinks.

  We talked about war, what else? That’s all that seemed to be around in Maralune. But even that was relaxing in our opinion. Sure, there was a day when sight-seeing and playing in the meadows would have been at the top of my list, but this old body was worn out from all that fighting with those fuzzballs and the other trouble-makers.

  I had my new pet with me. Talk about the stares I got with this one. I can’t wait to get back to the streets of Nebal and torture some more children.

  “A new race?” Mank asked when Valkryiex began to tell him what she had overheard Zaaid saying to the other Ancients.

  “Supposedly, yes,” Valkryiex explained, “made from the Nomes by some Sorcerer. They can light up as bright as the Sun. They’re called Luminomes.”

  “That’d be awesome! We could fight all night long with a force like that,” I added.

  “What do you think we’ll be up against over there?” Valkryiex asked me.

  “In Sapir? It’s hard to say really,” I tried to think of any that weren’t obviously known, “There are Barbarians in Northwest Sapir. They fought with the Digvi’ja in the Caliginian War. Trolls, Gremits, and Bandits of course…only very few are in Sapir now. They’d have to transport them over and I’m not sure the Digvi’ja think they would be worth the effort.”

  “Well, they do have Killian and the Orcs,” Shelija said, “the Slickers and Cerapithali…what few that remain anyway. And I believe they have several renegade-type members of the race spread throughout the Sapiran lands, some of them with minions of their own.”

  “Right, and there are many in the Legion who are not whole-heartedly behind their cause,” Mank agreed with his sister, “Some left the clan of Warlords in search of their own destiny…and who can blame them? The Digvi’ja are a heartless people. Take away their intelligence, and I wouldn’t classify them as anything more than over-grown Orcs.”

  I laughed. We stayed in the courtyard right up until lunch. In the end, we agreed that although the war seemed like a challenge for Maralune, it was one we could see winning. Our experience with the Battle of Zemylar gave us hope that we could accomplish anything, an advantage we had over those who had not yet tasted victory.

  Welkin and Vamble met up with Alusia and Vespa. They were all sitting on a balcony overlooking the city courtyards. They had plenty to talk about, being from four different cultures.

  Welkin, the Nebalian, had never traveled beyond the southern lands in Maralune. He was familiar with Halflings, for he had been through Ewiniar many times and had dealings with them on a regular basis. Now that he had been transformed into an after-life being, he would have more traveling opportunities than he could imagine.

  Though Welkin had never befriended a Dwarf, he admitted that Vespa and Mabashi reminded him of the lumberjacks in Nebal, a small group of Dwarves who lived and did business in and around the Port of Nebal. It was hard for him to get used to a manly woman; but through their time together, he found that they are much like the Dwarven men, idealistic and proud…and very, very talkative.

  Because the Forest Elves rarely left their tree cities, Vamble explained what life was like in the Evergrove. The others seemed fascinated by the idea of living off the land, so wild and free.

  Alusia seemed more reserved than most Halflings, who regularly held festivals and celebrations in large crowds on the streets of Ewiniar. But the Enchantress classes were often more subdued anyway.

  They all decided there was a huge difference in learning about people from books and being around them in person. The reality of customs, traditions, and unique qualities come to life when a person can experience other races first-hand. And they decided that this form of education would be one they passed on to their children in years to come.

  As they ate brunch on the balconies, Alusia and Vespa became curious about death and Celestra. The blue aura was intriguing, and they wondered what Welkin and Vamble would be like after the war with the Legion.

  “What happens if you die again…like in battle?” Alusia asked Welkin.

  “Well,” he answered, “Let’s just say that won’t happen.” He smiled.

  “You mean you can’t die again, or you’re just determined not to?” Vespa asked.

  “We can’t. But we can be removed from battle through magic,” he said, “and we can still be decommissioned by having our attacks thwarted or spells interrupted. We’re not invincible.”

  Vamble noticed the two females thinking hard about what Welkin had said and knew they still had questions.

  “We’ll never leave Minzkala on our own free will again. Wherever the Ancients go, we go. And the worst the enemy can do as far as bodily harm is to send us packing back to Minzkala, or to Celestra. Eventually, when our work here is done, we’ll be going with the Ancients to Celestra. The whole not-dying idea is nice, but it only suits people when it’s their time. Until then, I guess it’s best just to find your purpose in living.”

  “I would miss my family,” Alusia said, “I’m sorry you have to be without yours.”

  “For a little while,” Vamble told her with a wink in his eye.

  Alusia and Vespa sat thoughtfully at what Vamble had said. They understood what he was saying about finding purpose. It would take the concentrated efforts of the Maralunians along with the watchful eye of the Ancients to ultimately overcome the Legion; and after that, they would live out their lives with hope, completing their individual destinies.

  Kaliesto

  The day in Minzkala gave us a much-needed break to regain our strength and stamina. We spent the morning hours relaxing around the balconies and ledges of the city. The courtyards were filled with people enjoying the splendor of Minzkala and discussing light-hearted topics such as hunting and sword-crafting. Some ventured into the lands outside the city to take in the amazing countryside.

  A group of us—Loren, my brothers (after Cyrow was fitted in his new armor and given his swords), Mabashi, Cenathor, Archaos and me—all headed to the waterfalls to take turns diving into the cool waters.

  Loren swam off to the side of the stream once when a unicorn approached the banks for a drink. She began to sing to it, and it slowly walked up to her and placed its head low so she could touch it.

  My brothers and I had fun diving deep into the water. Mabashi found our ability to breathe underwater fascinating.

  Somehow it felt different he
re, in Minzkala. I knew I was safe. It was like a huge burden had been lifted from me. And it was more than that. The air felt lighter, the water cooler, and life in general…a lot more enjoyable.

  After swimming all morning, we headed back up to the castle walls. The smells of food were enticing. We mingled with the townspeople there. I was able to meet a few Centaurs. They said some of them would be going with us to Sapir to fight with the Ancients.

  I excused myself from Loren and the others for a bit when I saw King Naethan coming around the city walls. I thought it looked like a good chance to catch him alone.

  “Kaliesto,” he welcomed me as he saw me approaching.

  “King Naethan,” I felt nervous talking to him one on one, like the words from my mouth might become jumbled. I knew I had done well in the lair of Ceirgral, but I saw where I could have improved in my performance; little stupid mistakes I made. I knew he probably saw them, too, and I was opening myself to criticism by going to him.

  He let me speak first, “I wanted to thank you for organizing the effort to save my brother. I’m not sure I can ever repay you.”

  “It was nothing, really Kal. You four were brought here for the purpose of brotherhood, and none of us wanted to lose that. Being part of a family brings people together. It gives them a level of persistence beyond what is normally found in the world. And your spirit is contagious; I’ve seen that already.”

  I smiled and nodded a little, thinking about what he was saying.

  “How did you know about the Cerapithalis that tainted Cyrow?” I asked him.

  “Honestly, it was more of a gut reaction. But when I thought about it again once we were out, I realized I had picked up on a pattern down there. Each tainted was being held on the opposite wall from where its attacker was stationed, and one spot over, diagonally. When Archaos and Cenathor killed the first one around that barrier, I saw the man fall to the ground and figured it out.