Victor Deus (Heritage of the Blood Book 1)

by Brent Lee Markee

  He nodded, and tried to look more attentive.

  She leaned in close with the dagger she was carrying and pointed the tip of it at his nose. “Repeat everything I just told you then.”

  He did, even going back a few minutes into her instructions on how to hold a blade correctly. “Not too tight, but not too loose. Too tight, and every strike will jar you. Too loose and the weapon will come out of your hand and it's useless. Just because you can use flashy moves with a weapon doesn't mean you should. If you try to show off during a fight it could get you killed. Once you know how to use a weapon well, then you can try to use it to intimidate or impress, but only to try to stop a fight before it starts.”

  “Very good Victor, I know you think I'm just pestering you with little details, but it's the little details that will let you survive in life. Of course, some day, when you are about fifteen or so, you'll have to learn some of this all over again. Your body will start to feel different and you'll have to relearn what it's capable of. It'll be awkward for awhile, but as long as you keep your mind sharp and your body fit, it shouldn't be too bad.” She said this to him quietly, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

  “You sound as if your not gonna be there when that happens.” Victor had noticed her telling him what to expect when he was getting older for a little while now, but this was the first time he had addressed it verbally.

  “First of all, it is going to, not gonna. You don't need to sound like a street urchin. Second of all... I'm not always going to be there. There will come a day when I'm gone. You'll have to rely on all that I have taught you, and will teach you, until that day does come.” She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead before giving him that look that he dreaded. The look that said she was trying to remember every hair on his head perfectly. “When that day does come Victor, I want you to do everything you can to survive. No matter what Victor, you must survive.”

  *****

  I'll survive Shaylyn, no matter what. A new set of tears started rolling down his cheeks, and he realized that the boy was still talking.

  “… Roland, he's a good kid, but he likes to look up the ladies dresses. Besides that though, he's pretty trustworthy and loyal as a dog…”

  The boy paused for a second to catch his breath and Victor jumped at the opportunity to get a word in. “I'm Victor” he said while he put his hand out in front of him in an offer of a hand shake.

  “Oh yeah, where are me manners. Shawnrik Larston at your service Victor, but everyone just calls me Shawny, or big Shawn. I kinda prefer Big Shawn myself, I'll answer to either, but please don't call me Shawnrik. It makes me sound like a wuss.”

  The pleading in the large boy's voice nearly made Victor laugh at the ridiculous situation, if it wasn't for his heartache, he might have. “How about if I call you Shawn, or Larston?”

  “Sounds good to me, don't mind people callin' me by my last name, kinda makes me feel important like Ol' Walkins.” He puffed his chest out to make himself look even bigger.

  Victor was finally able to get his emotions somewhat under control, at least for the moment. He wiped his eyes on his sleeves, and then wiped off the extra moisture that had accumulated on the rest of his face. That was about the time that the city guard showed up.

  “Hey you two, what are you doing out this late?” A young man wearing the purple, black, and gold of the city watch asked.

  Of course, being a fine youth of above average intellect Victor answered as any upstanding young man would.

  “Nothing,” both of the boys intoned at the same time.

  “Ah nothin' eh? Now I ask myself, what two boys would be doing around the Dock's District this fine Midwinter's eve? Of course my first thought was nothing, but then something nagged at me.” He pointed toward Shawnrik. “Don't I know you?”

  “Well of course ya' know me Watchman Tanner, you've mistakenly brought me in on theft charges two times now… Wait! That's three times countin' yesterday.” Shawnrik grinned

  Victor looked over at his new companion and mouthed “three times?”

  Shawnrik shrugged “what? It was his mistake, and Watchman Olsons has brought me in twice for pickpocketin', but I don't know where they'd get a notion like that.”

  “I for one saw you palm something with my own two eyes, if it wasn't for the fact that no one will press charges on you, you'd be shipped outa' here already. Mark my words, I know your one of those kids that Ol' man Walkins has working for him, and only the Lord General could guess who he's really working for.” Watchman Tanner's gaze shifted over to Victor. “You I haven't seen before though, you new?

  “No sir…” Victor started to say.

  “He's my cousin sir; his father is visiting from down south. A bright one this one is, not into livin' on the streets out here, no sir. His name's Victor and he can read and write better than most of them richy types in the North Ward.” Shawnrik placed his hand around Victor's shoulder and smiled as big as he could at the officer. “Father's gonna' put him in the Academy, or even put him to trainin' with the mages guild.”

  “That true boy?” Watchman Tanner asked

  “Well sir…” Victor started not wanting to lie.

  “Of course it's true, are you calling me a liar?” Shawnrik must have known the look on Victor's face because he elbowed Victor. “Isn't it true, your name's Victor and you can read and write and all that.”

  “Well yeah, I can...”

  Watchman Tanner watched the display unfold in front of him and rolled his eyes. “Well you just be careful of this one and that Ol' man Walkins. You hear me Victor? You do have the look of a sharp lad about ya, and I wouldn't want to see you getting into trouble like your friend here.”

  “Yes sir.” Victor stated meekly

  “Well off you two go then, the Dock's District isn't any place for kids to be hanging about after dusk. It's almost New Beginnings, people get crazy on a night like tonight. Be safe, and stay out of trouble.”

  “Of course Watchman Tanner. Let's go Victor.” Shawnrik said as he turned pulling Victor in his wake.

  The boys had walked in silence since leaving the Watchman behind. Well, Victor had been silent and Shawnrik had been the antithesis of silent. He'd been mulling over a thought in his head for the whole walk, and he just had to get it out. “You have been caught five times stealing from people? You must not be a very good thief.” Victor chided his new-found companion. “Maybe I should find someone better to teach me how to survive out here.” He said it jokingly, but somewhere in the back of his mind he kept that idea open as a possibility.

  “Ha... ha... don't worry Ol' man Walkins and me will teach ya everything you need to know to keep yourself alive on these streets. Now remember when you meet him, don't be rude, and don't tell him we ran into the city watch, or he'll birch my hide, and if for some reason the fact does come up we don't need to tell him I lied to the man about you being able to read and write and such.”

  “But I can read and write.” Victor said while trying not to step in what he hoped was mud.

  “Well we don't need to mention that either, I don't think Ol' man Walkins ever learned how. That's the last thing you need, him thinkin' that you think that you're smarter than every one.” Shawnrik straightened Victor's clothes a bit. “Ok, this is it.” Shawnrik pointed up a set of rickety looking stairs that led to the second floor of one of the drinking establishments in the Dock's District.

  Victor had seen the sign on the front of the building naming the place “The Serpent's Dagger.” Tucked back behind the main streets, the street they were on was probably considered an ally by most. Well, If I want to learn the darker side of city life, this is the place to do it. That thought jarred him to a halt, and he wished he had more time to consider the implications of that thought, but Shawn was pulling him up the steps towards the door.

  The muffled sound of voices could be heard from the other side of the door, and when Shawnrik opened the door Victor was assailed with the odors he would soon learn t
o identify as cheap brandy and cigar smoke. There were two men at the table talking. One was a large fellow who looked like he could have been a farmer in a past life, but the scars on his neck and face made Victor realize that he was probably a bouncer or a thug. The other man was much smaller than his counterpart. The hair that remained on the back of the man's head was now more gray than black. The two men took note of the entrance of the boys, but continued their conversation as if the boys weren't even in the room. Shawnrik pulled Victor to the nearest set of bunk beds, and gestured for Victor to be silent.

  “They called this last year the year of the Shadows. If they only they knew how well they had named it. They say this year is the year of the Rat… Ha! I say it sounds like another good year to be a man of enterprise. Anyway Terrik, Lionel will probably be needin' your services around now, you better go back down there.”

  “I Go” The big man nodded his head and grinned at the two boys before he opened the door leading outside.

  “So, Shawny what do we have here? You bring us back something to eat?” Ol' man Walkins poked Victor in his ribs and frowned. “Doesn't have much meat on him guess we'll have to make a stew.”

  “This is Victor and he's been orphaned just this very night. His house was burnt to the ground, and his aunt was taken with it. He's a bright lad, and he's wiry enough for…” Walkins held up his hand and Shawnrik stopped talking. Victor embedded the motion into his memory so that he might try it later.

  “That true boy?”

  “Yes sir, some Mage in a red robe burnt it down.” Victor noticed the look of recognition that went through the old man's eyes. “I sure would like to know who did it.”

  “The Blood Mages” The old man threw it out without a thought seemingly preoccupied with other thoughts.

  Shawnrik Balked “The Blood Mages? As in THE Blood Mages? As in The Blood Mages of Siniquity?” He looked at Victor. “Oh boy, does your family have some enemies.”

  Victor looked between the two of them trying to remember where he had heard of the Blood Mages of Siniquity. Shawnrik was mumbling to himself about fiery death and torment, and the old man seemed to be thinking deeply himself, when Victor dredged up the memory from two years ago.

  *****

  On the rooftop of their little home Victor and Shaylyn sat staring up at the stars in the sky. They had just returned from one of the many “Field Trips” that Shaylyn had started taking him on recently.

  “But I didn't know his breath was going to be that bad.” Victor whined

  “That's one of the reasons that I told you not to let them charge you. You can never tell what they just finished eating. The smell can be putrid. You need to get used to these things so you don't pass out when no one is there to help you.” Shaylyn smiled down at her ward. “So Victor, it's your birthday tonight. The only gift I have for you this year is knowledge. So what would you like to know?”

  Victor blurted out without even thinking about it. “How old are you?”

  “Too old Victor, try something else”

  “Ok, where were you born?”

  “I was born on this continent in more peaceful times long ago. The city I was born in was called Draco'laire.” Shaylyn sat watching the boy wondering what he would ask next.

  “Wow, Draco'laire that sounds neat, can we go there sometime? What's it like?”

  “Well Victor, Draco'laire is no longer there. From its bones was built the center of Siniquity. Siniquity is ruled by the Council of Nine, and the Blood Mages. It is a land that possesses potent energies that have been around for as long as anyone can remember. These energies have been twisted by the council, and the Mages that use them for their own corrupt purposes. It is no longer my home.”

  “Oh, I'm sorry Shaylyn. Do you remember what it was like?”

  Shaylyn smiled down at him as she remembered her home of long ago. “There were towering spires, and beautiful works of art everywhere. A good portion of the city was plated in gold, which sparkled in the sunlight. The city itself was carved from the great mountain Lairemont. Most of the towers are still there, but a lot of the gold has been stripped away by the Mages. Too many men came with the evil creatures of the world when they were exiled to Terroval, and they banded together to create their own corrupt form of government.”

  “Who are the Blood Mages Shaylyn? And who are the Council of Nine?”

  “The Blood Mages are men who become so twisted by their own need for power that they have made deals with creatures of great power, and great evil, to lend them some of their power, and allow them to tap into forces which should not be tapped into. They do not follow most moral laws, and will do whatever they need to in order to retain their power. Slavery, murder, you name it and the Blood Mages have probably done it. Their path to power is relatively quick compared to the path the Mages of the Protectorate take, but it comes at the cost of their souls, and countless other lives in the process. Of course, Blood Mage is a general term to describe their order as a whole, but there are many different types of these Mages. The most prominent field of study seems to be Necromancy. The thought of power over life and death seems to draw the most sinister and twisted of these individuals.”

  Shaylyn seemed to think a moment, as if she wasn't sure he was ready for this information yet. “As to the council, their members change regularly. It is not an easy thing to hold onto power amongst so many that crave power. These men are not to be trifled with Victor, never take them lightly.”

  *****

  Remembering where he had heard of the Blood Mages, he thought the knowledge should comfort him somehow, but it didn't. For a while the three people in the room sat staring at nothing, each lost in their own thoughts.

  Finally, Ol' Man Walkins looked at Victor. “So, you want me to teach you how to survive eh?”

  “Yes sir”

  “Well then Victor Deus today is your lucky day. I've decided to teach you just what you want to know, and probably a bit more.”

  Victor smiled, he loved to learn new things, and knew that this man would be able to teach him the basics of living on the streets. A thought intruded on his moment of relief however. That's funny, I don't remember telling him my last name.

  *****

  Year 3042 AGD

  New Beginnings

  Caverns Beneath the City of Safeharbor

  He moved through the dark caverns underneath the city of Safeharbor, lurking through the dark tunnels like a cat hunting a mouse. Perhaps a better example would be a mouse hunting a cat, Nim thought. This was not the first time he had decided that something down here was in need of killing. The tunnels he now moved through were some of the same corridors that the inhabitants, of what had then been called South Harbor, had used in their three years of isolation. Since that time, a few thousand years ago, new passages had opened up, and new residents have settled into these caves. Sure, the upper levels were safe, and the wagon trail from the Docks District into the different sections of town were all heavily guarded. The area of the caves that they had converted into a sewer, and the tunnels below them, was where many creatures flourished. Just about every type of creature you could find lurking in a cave somewhere on Terroval could be found in the corridors of these massive caverns. Patrols are sent throughout the caverns periodically, to clean out the unwelcome guests; Alas, it seems to have made some of them stronger, and those that survive breed like rabbits. They breed with their own species or any other, one of the down sides to many of the creatures on the continent possessing Draconic bloodlines. The major problem with having a cavern full of assorted nasties below the city, is that sometimes, a few of them come up to play.

  Nim had been out on many of these excursions in his time in the Protectorate, and he knew that most of the creatures on the continent had made the discovery that they were all surprisingly interbreed-able. It was bad enough finding a bugbear or an ogre on one of these outings, let alone a monstrosity like the one they were hunting tonight. Creatures like this one always seemed to se
nd a chill down his spine.

  Always one to dress to impress, Nim felt dirty in his drab hunting attire, and his simple black cloak was thoroughly depressing. It wasn't just the clothes that made him feel dirty though. Sneaking around down here amongst all the grime, and waste could give anyone an unclean feeling. He knew that he would need to bathe for half a night to feel clean again. His discipline and training would not allow his unease to affect his job this night however. You can't let a little thing like dire, or a cloak without the least bit of embroidery, distract you when when hunting a creature this dangerous. If you wished to stay alive in this multitude of rat infested corridors you had to keep your mind on the business at hand, and your weapons drawn.

  Nonetheless, avoiding touching the walls and trying to stay hidden in the shadows, was becoming quite the game. Of course, this game was probably a better idea than dwelling on what kind of creature left a path that was so easily followed. The tracks were easily distinguishable amongst the muck, not that one would need to be skilled to follow this beast with the trail of crimson it was leaving in it's wake. This creature would learn tonight that it had chosen the wrong place to settle down.

  Nim had made a name for himself many years earlier by hunting down people who thought that they could use innocents for their own pleasure, or entertainment, and making them see the error of their ways. It was difficult for many, who didn't know Nim well, to understand the reasons behind some of the things that he has done in his career. There are a precious few that have been with him long enough to see things as Nim does, and those few friends and converts are the flesh upon which he has built his dynasty(well, that... and a well placed wish). There were few things that Nim trusted. His friends, himself, and his weapons, those three things had yet to fail to live up to the expectations he had put on them. In a few rare occurrences they have even surprised him by surpassing those expectations, which was one reason that he was not alone in his pursuit this night.