by Arlin Fehr
John nodded, placed a hand on Azra’s shoulder and said, ‘You’ll be fine.’
Azra smiled behind his covering, but the inflection still coloured his voice, as he said, ‘Thank you, John.’
John removed his hand and turned to climb up the rocks with the rest of his men. Azra turned away from them and closed his eyes. He began to focus his Mahgic around himself and pictured a spot in his mind. He had never been to the fortress before, and it was dangerous to try and teleport yourself somewhere you had never been, but he had been to a small rock island that jutted out above the deserts from which one could see the towers of the fortress.
Picturing the exact spot among the rocks he wanted to appear at, he released his Mahgic energies and vanished in a whirlwind of blue flames.
*
ZHARIN FORTRESS – DUNGEONS – BAZRA DESERT
Kia lay on the dirty stone floor, a grimy ball of cloth for a pillow, and she looked absently out the small barred window in the metal door to her cell.
Being brought here had been harrowing. The Raiders had wanted to have their way with her, but the Sorcerer Shakla had decreed that forbidden. Anyone who would try to harm her or do her ill would be put to death as soon as it was discovered. He had said that Azra would not be useful if any harm had come to Kia.
In darkness of her cell, the Princess could hear the faint hiss of the snake that the Sorcerer had somehow made her guard and protector. The black serpent was coiled in the far corner, watching her with red eyes.
Footsteps broke the gloom.
Someone was standing outside the door.
‘Get up,’ a voice said.
She didn’t move.
‘Get up, your Uncle has come.’
A glimmer of hope moved Kia to her feet. The snake uncoiled itself and slithered closer to her. The door opened and light entered the room. The guard looked warily at the snake. He beckoned her to follow.
Kia walked slowly out of the cell. Two other guards waited in the hallway. They all walked down it in silence. The occasional moaning from the other cells reminded Kia that she was not the only prisoner.
I wonder if any of them are captives from Jarridon, she thought to her shelf.
When they reached the end of the passageway, one of Kia’s escorts banged on a large, iron, door. They waited as a locking bolt was slid open. The door swung outward, and another Raider watched them as they walked out into the rest of the fortress.
They walked through more and more passageways, which seemed to be branching outward from the centre of the fortress like a wagon wheel – which would force any would be attackers to split their forces, if they ever managed to make it to the hub.
They arrived in a large vaulted room. Its top was intersected by large stone archways, though the age of the fortress showed in some of the crumbling masonry. Pillars larger than any of the trees back at the capital stretched up to hold up the criss-crossing arches. Kia let out a breath, in awe of the size of this fortress. It was much larger than even her Father’s own palace. She would venture to guess that it was larger than any of the current kingdoms palaces.
I wonder who could have built this? she thought to herself.
Then she spotted her Uncle.
Azra was standing in chains between two of the Raiders, with the Sorcerer Shakla standing to one side, watching Kia.
Azra looked up at Kia and smiled.
Kia smiled back, but began to feel uneasy.
‘Azssra... Asss promisssed no harm hasss come to your lovely niecsse,’ the snake man hissed.
‘Kia, are you all right?’ Azra asked, ignoring the assurances of the sorcerer.
‘Yes, Uncle. The Sorcerer has given me protection, if nothing else.’
The Sorcerer held out his arm and beckoned. The snake that had been following Kia slithered forward. Shakla bent down and let it climb up his arm. The snake wrapped itself around his neck, and he stood up.
‘My pet here hasss made sssure ssshe wasss sssafe,’ Shakla stated.
Kia saw Azra looking at the snake.
Shakla looked at Azra, and said, ‘Now, you have sssomething to do for me, Wyzard.’
The flickering light of nearby torches gave Shakla’s scaly skin a gleam as he spoke.
‘What do you want from me?’ Azra asked.
‘Nothing but information. What do you know about a people called the Nehhom?’
‘The who?’ Azra asked in genuine surprise.
Shakla hissed softly and his eyes narrowed to slits.
‘I sssee. They are a people who dwell beneath the wavesss. They came to thisss world three thousssand yehvs ago.’
‘I have no knowledge of any such people. And asking a desert bound noble about a people that dwell beneath the seas strikes me as a poor move on your part.’
‘Don’t try my patiencsse. We’ve disssucsssed why I want sssome one elssse sssearching.’
‘My kingdom hasn’t even been around that long. Kingdoms change hands very frequently on this world. Knowledge is lost and forgotten. Take the builders of this fortress for example, the Zhakim. Most of the common folk don’t have a clue who they were. Most historians only know the name of them! Only a few people know anything useful about them.’
‘Then you will asssk a question to one of thessse knowledgeable onesss on my behalf,’ Shakla said.
‘Why would I do that?’
Shakla knelt down on the ground, and the snake unwrapped itself from his arm and started to slither towards Kia.
Kia backed away a step, but the Raiders flanking her grabbed her arms and held her still. The Azra took a step forward, but was knocked down by one of his guards and held in a knelling position.
Kia squirmed against the grip of the guards as the snake wrapped around her leg and opened its jaw. The snake’s fangs rested harmlessly on her leg. But she could feel the prick of the fangs nonetheless.
‘If you don’t, I will kill her,’ Shakla said.
Azra was still struggling. Shakla looked at the snake. Its jaw tightened. Kia let out a pained yelp, more in fear than anything else... she’d seen how people died when bitten by this serpent. Azra stilled his struggles, and the snake removed its fangs from Kia’s leg, but stayed coiled around it.
Shakla knelt down in front of Azra, and, with his long reptilian fingers, pushed his head up to face him.
‘I can asssure you. It would be a mossst unpleasssant way to die.’
‘Fine,’ Azra snapped. ‘What questions do you want me to ask?’
‘Find the home of the Nehhom.’
‘What if they aren’t here? What if your wrong and they never came?’
‘They came. I can feel what I am looking for, but it’sss exact location isss being hidden from me. The Nehhom will know where it isss.’
‘What are you looking for?’
‘You don’t need to know that little man,’ Shakla said dismissively.
‘Wait a myno. Just because I don’t know about the Nehhom doesn’t mean I would know about whatever it is you’re looking for.’
Shakla stood up and glared at Azra for a long moment. A distant howling noise sounded as wind blew through the empty halls of the fortress.
‘You don’t need to know,’ Shakla said at last.
‘There is just one problem,’ Azra replied.
‘And what could posssibly be more important than the life of your kin?’ snarled, sounding like he was at the end of his limited patience.
‘If she doesn’t exit this fortress with me,’ Azra informed, ‘the King – her Father – is going to attack. You must trust me, when I say, Sorcerer... he will not stop until he gets her back.’
Shakla’s lip curled up in anger.
Something Stupid
‘You must know these things, for there are people out there who hate us just because we exist... you must know how to defend yourself my daughter...’
-King Hadrian Minna, to Kialandria, when she was young, and didn’t want to do no more stupid sword training anyway
With the revelation of the King Hadrian’s plans, in the event that Azra couldn’t retrieve his daughter, the Raiders began to look nervously at each other. They had always thrived on fluid warfare, and the fact that they were never a bigger threat than any of the other warring Kingdoms. Azra smiled a little at their nervousness and pushed his advantage.
‘I don’t know how powerful you are, but I think even you would have difficulty facing down all the court Wyzards the King would use in the attack. You also know, as well as I do, that your friends here are not made for siege warfare. They took more losses than they should have when they laid siege to my city. They aren’t going to live through this.’
Azra could see the disdain Shakla had for his men, and guessed he wouldn’t care if they all died, so long as he got his goal.
Azra looked to the ones holding Kia and said, ‘What did he promise you when you agreed to serve him? Fabulous treasure? Power? Hard to enjoy those things when your carcase is being pulled apart by the beasts that live in these burning sands.’
A Raider with a neatly trimmed beard, and striking blue eyes stepped forward, towards Shakla, and hissed, ‘My lord, let the girl go. You could command the snake to stay with her.’ He gestured towards the serpent that was still coiled around Kia’s leg. ‘This way you can keep Azra in line.’
Shakla was silent, thinking.
Azra could feel the tension building in the room.
Shakla let out a low hiss, his eyes narrow, looking towards the Raider who had made the suggestion. 'Amahl, you would be wissse not to quessstion me.’ Shakla turned to Azra, and snarled, ‘The quessstion you need to ask, dear Asssra, is whether you think your King can afford to be in thisss battle. He isss at war after all. It would be a ssshame if hisss enemiesss took advantage of his dissstraction.’
Shakla nodded at the two Raiders holding Azra. They undid his chains.
‘You may go, Asssra, but you had bessst be quick. Otherwissse you may have no Kingdom to return to.’
‘Just let me say goodbye.’
Shakla looked at the two, and then nodded. He rose up from his seat and began to walk away.
Azra walked up to Kia. ‘I’ll be back for you,’ he promised.
‘I know, Uncle.’
‘Just don’t do anything too rash.’
Azra reach around Kia and hugged her. She couldn’t return the favour because of her shackled hands. Azra withdrew and held her hands.
‘Stay safe,’ he said.
As he pulled away, Kia clenched her hands tight, making sure the guards didn’t see the folded piece of paper he had slipped into her hands. As they watch Azra go, Kia quickly stuffed the paper into her clothing, and then let the Raiders lead her away.
*
BAZRA DESERT – HALLI
In a whirlwind of blue flame, Azra appeared outside camp. John was on his feet, and started to walk towards the Baron. His men were waiting in position around the cave entrance.
‘The Princess?’ John asked.
‘Still in the sorcerer’s Possession. He told me what he wants though,’ Azra sighed.
‘And?’ John asked expectantly.
‘He wants something that he says came to this world three thousand yehvs ago. He said that a race called the Nehhom would know where it was,’ Azra said.
‘The Nehhom? What world are they on?’ John asked curiously.
‘Here. He said they dwell beneath the waves.’
John looked at him in disbelief. ‘And he wants you, a noble of a province that is almost entirely desert, to look for them? What do you plan to do?’
‘I plan to look for them. If he wants to talk to them, I want to know why.’
‘What about the Princess?’
‘I managed to slip her a map of the fortress. I found it in the library at Sallock.’
‘What good will a map do her if she’s in a cell?’ John asked.
‘She’s resourceful. I think she’ll find a way out. I want you to wait here. If she manages to make it out, you’ll need to get her back to Jarridon as fast as you can, and wait for the Sorcerer’s counter-attack. King Hadrian will be mustering his forces at Jarridon for his attack on the Raider’s fortress. I think with his forces, we’d be able to hold off anything the sorcerer throws at us.’
‘How long do we wait?’ John asked.
‘Until I get back,’ Azra said, and then vanished away in a whirlwind of blue fire.
John let out a sigh, and walked back to the men.
*
ZHARIN FORTRESS – DUNGEON
Kia was back in her cell. The snake had uncoiled itself from her leg and was in the far corner. Kia couldn’t make it out very well, but saw the reflection of the dim light in its eyes. It hissed softly.
Kia had waited for quite some time before her nerves settled down and she unfolded the paper she had got from her Uncle. It was hard to read with only the light from the hallway filtering in from the bars in the door, but she had realized quickly what it was.
It was a map, not of the whole fortress, but of a route from the dungeon to a passageway somewhere else.
It must be my escape route, she thought hopefully.
From what she had noticed since being held prisoner, there was only one way into the cell block – a door at the end of the hallway. There were no guards in this part of the dungeon. They were all on the other side of that far door. With only one way in or out, it seemed like a good way of keeping her trapped.
Kia heard the door leading to the dungeon click unlocked. Scrambling, she folded up the map quickly, and hid it as best she could. She heard the far door being locked again.
Footsteps came down the hall, and she saw the face of a Raider outside her door. He had a scraggly beard, and a heavily tanned complexion. His face had a number of scars on it.
The Raider unlocked her door and opened it. He stood in the door way looking down at her. He didn’t say anything.
She stayed where she was and kept looking at him.
An uncomfortable amount of time passed.
‘Our people are in danger of being all killed because of you. The Sorcerer treats us like cattle.’
Kia blinked and said quietly, ‘I’m sorry. I don’t want to be here anyway.’
‘You’re sorry?’ the Raider said, softly.
Kia nodded slowly.
‘You’re sorry?’ he said again, his voice rising. ‘You say you’re sorry, but you, a Princess, never would care about the likes of us. Our suffering means nothing to you! We mean nothing! When our people bled under the yoke of our oppressors, the nobles of the Kingdoms we turned to for help did nothing! You are all alike. You treat the commoners like rubbish, you think the world revolves around you, and you care not about the cost your lifestyles have on people!’
The snake hissed from the corner, and began to uncoil itself.
‘The Sorcerer thinks he can just come from nowhere and make us his servants?’ the raider snarled, as he pulled a curved sword from his belt. ‘He thinks he can own us? We are no one’s slaves! And we will not be anyone’s slaves ever again! He promised us vengeance on the royals of this world. I’m not going wait for him to start on that mission. I will start it myself, here and now!’
The snake slithered between the Raider and Kia, and then raised its head to the height of the Raider’s waist, letting out another hiss.
The Raider glared at the serpent, and his eyes flashed with anger. His sword struck quickly, and the snake’s head left its body.
It fell to the ground.
The Raiders eyes went back to Kia.
‘The Sorcerer wants to keep you alive. That’s too bad. A life has been lost by his snake, and a life must be paid. Blood for blood. It is the Code.’
The Raider stepped towards Kia. She scrambled back to the corner and watched as the man raised his sword. Kia felt a small stone under her hand. Her fingers wrapped around it, and she threw it at the Raider.
He sa
w it coming and dodged his head aside, then glared down at her with unmitigated hate in his eyes. He raised his sword again, but suddenly let out a yelp. His eyes rolled back and he tumbled backward.
Kia stared in wonderment at the snake – now whole again – retracting its fangs from the Raider’s ankle.
Kia sat in silence, gazing fearfully at the snake for some time.
She heard someone try the door at the end of the hall. When they couldn’t get it open, she heard pounding.
Kia went to the body of the Raider, and retrieved his sword. She searched him for keys, and found a ring with several, big bronze ones on it Kia tried them in the shackle around her ankle. She found one that worked, and the shackle clicked open. Kia was up in an instant, looking warily at the snake.
It stared back.
The young Princess took a step towards the door to the cell. The snake got out of her way. As she went into the hall, the snake followed.
It doesn’t seem to care that I’m escaping.
Kia went to the door at the end of the grimy, grey, hallway. Someone was still pounding on the door, making it quiver. Kia could hear shouting too.
Her heart hammered in her chest.
She backed a few paces away and took some deep breaths. She held the sword in a two handed grip in front of her. As much as she would love to have her bow, it wouldn’t be very useful in this kind of fighting. Thankfully her Father had insisted all his children be trained with a sword.
Kia hated to admit that she wasn’t very good.
Plus the sword she had was unlike the ones she had trained with.
She just hoped she was good enough.
The pounding stopped.
Kia heard a scraping noise. Then, with a click, the door unlocked. With an abrupt movement, it flew open, and two Raiders stepped in, wrapped in their desert garb, only their eyes showing. The men – one taller and broader than the other – appeared shocked at seeing Kia, standing at the ready, sword in her hands.
The Raiders hesitated.
‘Where is Ona? He was supposed to deliver your meal, but he never took it in,’ the tall one asked, drawing his own sword. ‘Return to your cell and you won’t be harmed.’