Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising

by Peter Koevari

  Vartan embraced Helenia in elation before turning to look at the many dead elves and men who sacrificed themselves for their victory. Turning toward the lowered bridge, he saw Dryden aiding a limping Makya who clutched his stomach, the blood escaping through his armour.

  “No! Makya! We need a healer!” shouted Vartan.

  Kassina stood on a hill overlooking Greenhaven beyond the elven forest. Dragons were perched on its walls and some flew overhead. They proudly displayed themselves uncloaked as a mark of their defiance.

  Tusdar, Mestal, Aryun! How could you let this happen? She growled.

  Still there was no answer to her call. She stared at the moon in confusion, not understanding how they had lost their powers at such a crucial moment. With her long hair blowing in the wind, she gritted her teeth and yelled. "Enjoy your victory, Vartan; you will long regret the day you were born. Mark my words; you are living on borrowed time!"

  Trisa worked hard to heal Makya's deep wounds as Vartan and Shanka watched over their fallen friend. All the while he stared up at the stars. "Thank you, Prince Vartan, for giving me the chance to live a warrior's life one last time."

  "No! You will not die like this! Who did this to you?" cried Vartan

  Makya took his hand and smiled warmly. "I was always fated to die for the greatest cause of all and although I never thought I would die at the hands of a woman, she fought well. I saved the life of a great man who will bring peace to all. You will make a worthy king when the time comes, always remember who you are! I hope to see you in my next life."

  The trader closed his eyes and took his last breath; his body went limp as he faded away.

  Vartan raised his head and screamed, "No!"

  The sound of Shanka’s cries were heard in every corner of Marithia.

  Dryden led the beaten and starved prisoners out of the dungeons. He helped clothe and feed them before declaring, "You are no longer prisoners now, go!"

  The women thanked him and ran out of Greenhaven's gate, screaming with smiles on their faces. "We are free!"

  As they cleared the gate, one of the women turned back with a wicked smile.

  Demon hunter, I sense your presence nearby. We shall dance another day. When we find each other, only one of us shall walk away.

  Yuski ran to the bridge and watched as the many prisoners ran into the distance, far away from her. She grasped a glowing blue orb in her hands, knowing that there would be no way to catch the demon now. “Damn you Wumvarn!” she cried.

  Chapter 27 : Daessar

  “It has been a long wait, but I must not leave. The day will come when they seek me out and I will pass on the knowledge to those who deserve to be enlightened.

  When all of fate's cards are in your hand, and you must wait for the right moment to play them, it is such a heavy burden to bear.”

  (Barone - Marithian Seer)

  The sun provided the moon with respite from its duty to the skies and rose on the horizon, giving much needed warmth to Marithia. Its rays reflected off Greenhaven's walls and turned the surrounding land golden. The smell of burnt houses and ash was overwhelming as the city lay still after the chaos of battle.

  Queen Andrielle stood on the battlements, wearing her crown proudly and overlooked the surrounding lands with Karven perched nearby; the burnt markings of Shindar’s net clear in the daylight.

  She turned to the great dragon. "I can hardly believe that we have returned as victors.” Andrielle shivered noticeably, “Despite the evil that dwelt here after we left, it is the memory of the night we departed that haunts me most. I can feel him Karven, he is still fresh in my mind as if he never left us."

  Karven lowered his head slightly. "You should not destroy yourself over events passed. You could not stop what happened to King Arman and it was not your fault that Derian's heart darkened. Greenhaven has been returned to its rightful owners and we have much to do to prepare for Shindar's retaliation. But more importantly, we need to help Vartan find Talonsphere, before Kassina does."

  She stared at Karven and asked, "Kassina lives? How do you know this?"

  "There is no mistaking her presence and I saw her standing on that hill, watching us."

  She pointed to the highest hill on the horizon and asked, "That hill?"

  Karven nodded. "Andrielle, we must never let her retake Greenhaven. If she were to discover Talonsphere, she can do more than just destroy it; she can be reborn inside it. Vartan is not the only child born of dragon's blood, and much like your feelings of responsibility for Derian, the dragons feel responsible for Kassina's creation. Without Nymira and I living a human life and giving birth to her mother, Niesha, she would never be walking by Shindar's side and he would not have his child of prophecy."

  "By the gods Karven!, Kassina is your granddaughter?"

  The great dragon nodded and blinked his eyes sadly.

  "Does she know? Forget that, does Vartan know?"

  "Whether Kassina knows or not will never change who she has become and with the dragon and vampire powers of long life, she has plenty of time to search for Talonsphere. She is too far gone, but unlike Vartan, she has the vampire’s power of long life. I am yet to burden Vartan with that knowledge."

  "I don't understand. We killed her at the battle of the Elven Woods. How could she have possibly survived? Can we not kill her?"

  "She can be killed Andrielle, just as any vampires can, but it must be done before she can use her magic. Much about Shindar and Kassina’s powers are not yet understood. Vartan does not need to know about Kassina's beginnings, he only needs to know how to bring about her end."

  They both looked to the gorge, where Vartan, Helenia, Yuski and the Knights of Veldrenn were gathered. Shanka sat perched on Vartan's shoulder. The rising sun covered the ocean as if it were a golden layer of shimmering light. They watched as a large burning boat was launched into the river and began its journey to the sea, smoke billowed into the blue sky, turning it appropriately to grey.

  "This is how he would have wanted it. Anyone who dies in my name deserves a burial worthy of a king."

  "You are a great queen, worthy of all who follow you."

  Vartan raised his sword high, its blade shimmering in the sun. The knights followed suit, their own blades drawn. "For the memories of those who died so that we could live free. We honour you all!"

  "We honour you all!" they chanted.

  Andrielle turned to Karven. "And he will make a great king. We need all the strength we can gather for the times ahead of us. Greenhaven will be restored under a new unified flag for all Marithians to be proud of, dragons included."

  “That is most wise of you. How is the sorceress, Anakari? Has she recovered?” asked Karven.

  “It was miraculous what she achieved, wasn’t it? She awoke on her own accord as the moon began to set. It was horrifying to see the blood red moon return in all its fury. Once this day is through, we must be on our guard at all times.”

  They paused to watch a flock of dragons fly overhead with much needed supplies to repair and rebuild Greenhaven.

  “Of course, we must never let our guard down. What will become of Veldrenn?”

  “It will be protected as it was under the name of King Arman. Greenhaven and Veldrenn will both be fortified further, each providing added protection to the other. We could never house all Marithians within these walls; we will need the city of Veldrenn. Our armies will be ready to ride at the first sign of distress.”

  Karven looked behind him to the broken portal. “What will we do with that? We know not how to rebuild and activate it.”

  Andrielle produced a scroll from her coat and admired it. “Our libraries had not been destroyed, and that was a crucial mistake on Kassina’s part. We hold many secrets of the ancients and the portals use methods that we can discover. It will take time, but we will rebuild that portal and learn to operate it. We will have the ability to travel to the underworld and take the fight to Shindar’s doorstep.”

  Karven nodded, “
That may be so, but we still do not have Talonsphere and we almost lost the battle. Shindar is not to be underestimated and now that his power has grown to allow him to step into Marithia, you can be sure that he will return again and we must be ready. Vartan must find Talonsphere as soon as he can.”

  Vartan readied his horse with Anakari and Yuski waiting on horseback and smiled at them. “Who knew that we would ride out from Greenhaven today? Where do we find this Barone?”

  “Follow me and I will guide us there. I just hope that nothing has happened to him,” said Yuski, galloping away from them.

  Anakari snapped her reins and hung on as she spurred her horse into life, galloping over Greenhaven's lowered bridge. Vartan leapt onto his horse and struggled to keep pace. “Wait for me!”

  Come back soon, I know you have a duty and made a promise to Anakari, but you also made one to me. I love you, said Helenia.

  I will return before nightfall, wait for me. I love you too, thought Vartan.

  As they rode, the wind rushed past his face and brought back memories of his first ride to Greenhaven. They soon passed Jade Inn, its burnt carcass stood out like a cancer on the land. They rode into the forest, each mile taking them further from the safety of Greenhaven.

  “How much further?” shouted Vartan.

  “We will be there soon!” replied Yuski, spurring her horse forward and kicking up dried leaves while narrowly avoiding tree trunks.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Vartan saw the flash of a unicorn and ground his horse to a halt. “Wait!”

  Turning to his left, he saw nothing but trees and leaves. The girls reined in their horses. “What did you see?”

  “Nothing, I thought I saw a unicorn… but now it’s gone.”

  “I saw a unicorn too; he gave me the power to cast the spell that stripped the powers from the moon.”

  “If you saw a unicorn, then you met with the ancients. It appears that they want to help us,” replied Vartan with hope resounding in his voice.

  Anakari bit her lip and grew fidgety. “Indeed it appears so, come on… we are almost there.”

  Forcing their horses into a gallop, they continued deeper into the forest until they came to a section of the river which led to the gorge protecting Greenhaven. Yuski led her horse to a section of the river that was shallower than the rest. Their horses splashed water as they trotted to the other side. There appeared to be nothing there but the edge of the forest and the stony river bed.

  Yuski dismounted and helped Anakari down from her horse. “We are here.”

  Vartan followed suit, looked around in confusion and as they tied their horses to the nearby trees, he raised his eyebrows and asked, “Where exactly are we?”

  “You mean aside from standing beside Tr’arch river? Watch and learn.”

  She moved to the centre of a clearing and her voice swelled as she cast a spell. “Ostendo sum vestri ianua iacio nostrum statua pro meus manuum.”

  The ground rumbled as giant stone hands rose from the ground in a semi-circle beside her. She concentrated for a moment and hummed a tune. She pushed one finger at a time, each one glowing and emitting a sound until the tune was played. The statues shifted back into the ground and rocks sunk in on top of them. They watched as a section wide enough for the largest man descended into the ground, one stair at a time. The dust settled as the tunnel was revealed to them. Lit torches adorned the walls of the tunnel.

  Yuski smiled with satisfaction and proceeded down the stairs. “It appears we came at a good time, Barone is home.”

  They proceeded through the tunnel until they came to a large dug out home, rich with antique furniture that was intricate in its design. They heard the ground shift to close behind them. A man in a hooded robe lined with gold threading stood from his chair and faced them. Vartan immediately recognised him. “Hildar!”

  He pulled a bottle of wine from his bookshelf and poured them all a glass. “Hildar, Barone… I am known by many names, but not many know me by my true name… Kai’en. Please call me by that name. We are, after all… old friends.”

  Vartan took a sip from the wine and asked in shock, “You are a seer? This can’t be…”

  Kai’en laughed and took a swig of wine. “And why could it not? I have knowledge of this world that many would kill to gain, and many tried. Nobody suspects an innkeeper of being a seer, so when they asked me where they could find Barone… I just send them in the wrong direction. When that demon came… what was her name, oh yes… Wumvarn, I cleared Jade Inn of all of good hearted people and left the rest who were sympathetic to Shindar to die. Looks like I will stay here a while longer. Now, you all came here for a reason, did you not?”

  Anakari walked toward the seer and raised her necklace. “Kai’en, my name is Anakari and I come seeking knowledge about this. My master, Aldorus, found it when I was only a baby in the woods. I have had it with me ever since, and I want to know what this means, Daessar.”

  Kai’en stared at the necklace and held it in his hands as if it were precious to him. “This is an artefact of the ancients, great woman of the stars.”

  “The ancient that helped me in the woods called me by that name. What does it mean?”

  Releasing the necklace slowly he looked into her eyes as he spoke gently, “It means that you were a god, or goddess, if you will… who has been sent down here in human form with a purpose.”

  “By the gods! A goddess?” asked Yuski, running her hand gently down Anakari’s arm.

  All had gone quiet as the trio absorbed the news. Vartan cleared his throat and asked, “Do you know where to find Daessar? Talonsphere spoke its name to me before I woke from a place of darkness.”

  Kai’en took another sip of wine and turned his gaze from each of them. “You still haven’t worked it out yet? Talonsphere is in Daessar.”

  “What? Is it not buried under Greenhaven? I have seen the protected scroll with its location, but it was not found by Shindar’s forces, as far as we know,” asked Vartan.

  “In a manner of speaking… it is buried under us all, but far out of Shindar’s reach. The scroll shows a map, and that map does not lead to the ground beneath Greenhaven, but to the realm of the ancients.”

  “Realm?” they exclaimed in unison.

  “Yes, as I said, realm. The ancients disappeared from Marithia and have their own society in their realm, Daessar and they took Talonsphere with them. That is why it cannot be found beneath Greenhaven. To travel to Daessar, there is only one place of entry. Mount Wayrin. I cannot tell you where the door is, as I truly do not know… but I can tell you that you need a key to open it.”

  Vartan sighed loudly. “And where do I find this key?”

  Kai’en gestured toward Anakari. “She is standing right next to you. I can see it as clear as daylight. Look at the markings on her arms; they are the symbols of the ancients. The key has been before you this entire time. I would say that the ancients infused the key into her skin at the same time as leaving her the vital clue in her necklace.”

  Vartan smiled with the revelation. “Then we will journey to Mount Wayrin!”

  “Not so fast, young prince. You should know that you are not the only one who can activate this weapon, and between you and Mount Wayrin lays the lowlands, where Kassina’s tower lies.”

  Vartan’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the dark sorceress. “Kassina? We killed her at the battle of the Elven Woods!”

  “Then you did not succeed. Her dark magic stains our land once more. She has grown stronger, as have you. After all, you both have dragon's blood in you."

  "Lies! What trickery is this?" growled Vartan.

  Kai'en raised his hands and walked to a bookshelf, pulling out a book which hummed. "I see that the dragons have yet to share this information with you, but Kassina, daughter of sorceress Niesha and the vampire, Delano... is part dragon."

  Opening the book on the table between them, the pages were empty.

  "Many have died to obtain this book. Hold it and
focus your mind on Kassina."

  Vartan picked up the book, picturing the dark sorceress in his mind. The book flashed as pictures appeared on its pages. White squares seemed to hover above the paper, tethered to the page by fine threads of magic.

  "This is a book of ancestry, of anyone you wish."

  Vartan watched as the book sketched an image of Kassina and scribed her name on the bottom square. The strings flashed and the book sketched Niesha and Danton. Those strings flashed and Vartan watched Niesha's connections closely. Images of two humans appeared and the book scribed under their pictures the names, Karven and Nymira.

  To be continued

  Peter Koevari is a writer that holds fantasy dearly close to his heart. From an early age, he was immersed in all media of fantasy that he could get his hands on. Memories of movies such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Star Wars, Conan, The Last Starfighter, The Princess Bride, and many more are cherished memories of fantasy nostalgia.

  Peter’s hunger for storytelling was growing from a young age. Feeding off movies, video games, and books, the hunger had never been quenched. There was a yearning for something, as if he was enchanted by a spell and did not know how to release it.

  The worlds held inside his imagination had to be shared with readers of the world.

  It took over 10 long years to unlock the doors to worlds such as Marithia, and to pen them into books to share with anyone willing to travel to his worlds, but once he found the key and began to write… everything made sense.

  Peter’s writing will surprise you, may shock you and take your emotions by its talons, but will transport your mind into a world of fantasy like you have never read before.

  www.peterkoevari.com