The Secrets of Brymar (The Elitherian Fragments Book 1)

by James Coy-Dibley

  “So he returned to the city,” Aroden said with hesitant hope. “Then why haven’t we seen him yet?”

  “Perhaps he’s in the city’s infirmary,” Brian suggested, “or in a surrounding town around here.”

  “We could check Skee,” Adriana added. It angered her that she’d missed the tracks before – an inexcusable mistake. But the wolves had come, and the blue hues.

  “No, he’d go back to Orwell if he had the choice,” Aroden declared.

  “Should we not continue to Forelorne, then?” Brian asked.

  “No,” Aroden said. “Richard rode towards Orwell. We must follow those tracks.”

  Chapter XI

  “William!” Max exclaimed as he galloped up the stairs.

  He could hear screams from the courtyard as people fled, some of them flailing down the stairs towards the markets. Shortly after the thud came the striking of metal on metal, the resounding clashes ringing out amongst the sounds of a struggle. Max withdrew his sword, as did Rachel. A body collapsed from the top of the staircase; it tumbled towards them, their hearts skipping a beat. They could feel the adrenaline sending their hearts into overdrive, yet Max struggled to breath. As they approached the falling figure, they spotted an arrow protruding from the chest; white feathers lined the top sides of the arrow alongside the jet black wooden shaft – not Arracian. Max glanced at the head and a grisly green face stared back from beneath the hood with dead, dark green eyes.

  It wasn’t William.

  The two of them charged under the archway and into the courtyard, where they saw William fighting alongside another black-cloaked figure with a sword drawn and a bow and quiver securely fastened behind. William held his sword, too, and defended against another attacker. Max charged, as did Rachel, at the grisly creatures. Before one attacker could reach this mysterious figure, Max’s blade crashed loudly upon his victim’s skull, sending a chilling screech into the air and a mist of black blood. He could see the fear in William’s eyes, but not in his brother’s saviour. This person was no stranger to battle.

  Screams of panic from the markets below erupted as the fighting continued; the people scrambled to reach safety and all of the merchants slammed their doors shut. But no guards arrived. Six more enemies charged from the Caisen District’s marble staircase, their jagged swords drawn and foul green faces on display, the rags hanging from their bulky bodies. Outnumbered, but unmatched, the four of them formed a line to meet the charge. The cloaked figure threw a small knife from within their folds, quickly dispatching one as it impaled the unsuspecting creature’s throat.

  Before Max could strike another one, their new companion charged and swiftly killed another two. Rachel moved forward and impaled one while Max finally reached another, William staying behind them. The final foe attempted to run, only to be struck through the head with an Arracian arrow coming from the archway, the scout finally reaching the fight.

  As their victims fell silent, Rachel prepared to rush them back to the safe house, but she was interrupted as the figure withdrew another knife and hurled it towards the Arracian scout. Rachel screamed but quieted herself as the dagger impaled another attacker behind the scout, sending another body tumbling down the staircase towards the markets below.

  They stared at their saviour. It had all happened so quickly.

  “Who are you?” Max demanded.

  “Come on, Max,” Rachel interrupted, practically screaming at him. “We must return to the safe house now!”

  “No,” a frantic female voice responded. She wiped her blade on a rag attached to one of the bodies. “That place isn’t safe anymore.”

  “Remove your hood,” Max demanded. “I want to see who I’m talking to.”

  She hesitated at first but removed the hood, her long, dark brown hair falling behind her. With piercing, light green eyes she stared into Max’s and continued to speak. “You saw where the last ones came from,” she continued. “The Caisen District is swarming with them.”

  “How do you know this?” Rachel demanded.

  “What is happening?” William blurted out, his voice slightly wavering. “Why did they attack us?”

  “They came to kill you.”

  “Well, obviously,” Max practically shouted.

  “Kill me,” William repeated quietly. He inspected the bodies around them, all nine of them. Their cruel, jagged black swords lay scattered around the courtyard. What just happened? This was his first true encounter with battle, the first time he’d truly witnessed death. His gaze returned to her fair complexion, his eyes full of fear. “Why would they try to kill us?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Rachel took a step towards the Caisen District. “Max…”

  “You saved us,” he said to the young woman, interrupting Rachel. “Why?”

  “You will have your answers,” she answered as she anxiously scrutinised their surroundings, “but we don’t have time to answer a question of that length right now.”

  “What do we call you, then?” William asked. “At least tell us that.”

  “Elizabeth,” she answered. “I go by many names, but Elizabeth is my favourite. You can pronounce that one in your language, too.”

  “Elizabeth,” William mumbled back. He surveyed the bodies. “Look at their robes,” he pointed, picking up the smudged piece of parchment he had dropped on the ground. “They bear the exact same crest. And look at the banners around the fountain. It’s the same beast with intersecting triangles behind it.”

  Max nodded towards Elizabeth. “Then what do you propose we do?”

  “I have a home in the Crilover District. We must go there.”

  “Fine,” William said. “I’m convinced. She saved our lives and seems to know a lot more about what’s going on than we do.”

  “We can’t blindly follow her,” Rachel argued. She directed her attention to Elizabeth. “How did you know where we were?”

  “I followed you to the markets. After you entered the butcher shop, I spotted a man watching you. I kept an eye on him and spotted him communicating with other figures in the markets. Once he ordered them to wait in this courtyard, I waited here in case they tried anything.” She paused. “Their leader ran before the fighting started, but I managed to cut his arm before he could flee. He dropped something,” she finished while pointing to the top of the stairs to the Caisen District.

  “The Arracian ring,” William said as he practically charged to retrieve it, seeing the gold ring at the top. Rachel stopped him and went to pick up the ring. William continued. “That’s why I chased the stranger in the first place.”

  “But you were watching us, too,” Rachel angrily pointed out as she descended the stairs again, solemnly pocketing the Arracian ring. She looked disapprovingly at the Arracian scout, who shrugged, equally puzzled as to how she’d escaped notice.

  Elizabeth irately shook her head, her patience running out. She pointed at the bodies on the ground. “We don’t have time for this. More may be coming. Will you follow me or not?”

  “Yes,” William answered and his brother reluctantly nodded, too.

  “Good.” Elizabeth ascended the marble staircase into the Crilover District. “The house is not far from here.”

  Rachel shot an irritated glance to Max before the four of them followed her up the staircase. They’d never been in the Crilover District before, and the fact that Elizabeth owned a house in there alone was cause for caution. Rachel took the back of the group along with the Arracian scout while Elizabeth led them in the front.

  The eerily quiet streets unnerved them, most of the doors and windows closed without signs of life inside. At the top of the steps was another courtyard, but this one was made of older, cracked stone slabs and barren at the centre. Two streets extended from the courtyard, a smaller one directly ahead of them and another on the right side, while the district’s large stone walls reached high up along the left side of the courtyard. Along the edges stood run-down grey structures with old wooden doo
rs and metal-barred, dirty windows. It was as if they’d walked into a different city, one void of the exquisite architecture and beauty of Orwell that William admired.

  The worried murmurs amongst Orwell’s people had died down after a while until everything had fallen silent since the fight. But still no city guards had emerged, their absence increasingly more apparent. Elizabeth walked hastily through the courtyard and down a street to the right side, avoiding the other smaller alleyway ahead of them. The broken cobblestone made the road uneven, forcing William to stare at the ground as he concentrated to keep his footing. He broke the stare to look at Elizabeth a few times, curiosity taking over as he noticed her long strides and the unusual markings on her black cloak.

  “Who do you think she is, Max?” he whispered while watching her.

  Max shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he said but nodded towards her. “But I know I’ve seen those markings before. Perhaps it was on one of the pages in Zed’s book, but I can’t remember who it represented.”

  “I noticed it, too.”

  “What if father returns to the house and is attacked? What if they’re waiting for him there?”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” William nervously uttered. “He has Brian and Adriana with him though and all of the others.”

  “We should send someone to the house to warn them,” Max decided. He turned to Rachel, who gave an answer with her expression, before looking at the scout instead. “Go back to the house and await my father.”

  “Max, he should stay with us,” Rachel quietly argued.

  “No, he must warn our father. Clearly that house isn’t safe anymore.” The scout glanced at Rachel before leaving them. “Besides,” he continued while gesturing towards Elizabeth. “I think we’re in good hands.”

  But Max did feel less secure with the Arracian scout gone. He could feel his shoulders tensing and his hand hovering closer to the handle of his sword. Were this earlier in the day, he’d never imagine wandering the streets of the Crilover District with a strange woman that had saved him and his brother from an assassination attempt…all without a full escort of Arraci. But given the circumstances, it seemed that being with Elizabeth would be the safest place to be, and Aroden would have to agree with that, all things considered. After all, they’d survived the attack because of her, a terrifying reality not lost to him.

  They walked in silence under the moonlight and turned down a narrow alleyway. It extended deeper into the district, into the far, forgotten parts of Orwell, the city’s most notorious areas of secrecy. Most of the street signs read in different languages, none of them the brothers or Rachel could read or even recognise, and they couldn’t help but feel someone watched them after every turn. The rundown, old houses alongside the cobble alley were dark inside, likely with wandering eyes behind the metal bars.

  Max meticulously mapped the route in his head to ensure they could return home quickly if needed. This was the last place he wanted to find himself lost; none of it bore any logical layout and, at this point, he couldn’t read anything at all – not just the street signs but any writing on the homes, too. And he knew that the moment those bodies in the courtyard were found, whoever sent the creatures would probably send more; that is, if they hadn’t already. Max felt the state of paranoia setting in as he obsessively surveyed their surroundings, every sound raising his already racing pulse.

  “I didn’t know any of this existed,” William said. “I had no idea the Crilover District was so big.”

  “These parts house some of the oldest families of Orwell,” Max whispered back. “Most people never see these parts. I’m not sure why she’d have a house here.”

  William shrugged. “Do you think that’s alarming?”

  His brother nodded.

  “And how she knows this place so well,” Rachel pointed out while she constantly glanced behind her.

  “How much longer do you think we’ll be walking?” William asked. “It’s been a while.”

  “Not long,” Elizabeth called out behind her.

  “Good,” Max responded quickly as a reflex before falling silent.

  The alley ended perpendicularly into a main street that ran parallel to the district’s high walls ahead of them. Elizabeth took only a few steps down the road before abruptly stopping. She pointed to a house at the base of the wall, a modest stone house with old cracks, barred, small glass windows and a small light inside. At the back of it towered the white stone district wall, reaching high above, which made the house appear miniscule in comparison.

  “We’re here,” she said as she turned to face the others. A couple of wooden steps led to the large oak door. The house gave no indication of security or way of reassurance; the brothers and Rachel scrutinised it before staring at Elizabeth. “It’s safe,” she assured, though the blank stares she received in response quickly let her know they didn’t believe her. “You must trust me.”

  “What will we find inside?” Max asked.

  Elizabeth ignored the question. “Come,” she said while going up the two steps and grabbing the handle. “We have much to discuss.”

  She pushed the door open, revealing a small flickering flame inside that poured over the dark street, and waited for the others to approach. William stepped forward first, though Max firmly pulled him back by the shoulder and took the lead, giving a suspicious glance at Elizabeth.

  “There’s nothing to fear,” Elizabeth assured again as she passed through. “Come in and take a seat.”

  Max followed her in with William and Rachel close behind. Only a small candle burned atop a table in the centre of the room, barely illuminating the barren walls. Elizabeth walked around the sides of the room and lit a few more candles and lanterns, bringing the room into focus and keeping her hands visible at all times. After lighting several candles, she removed her cloak to reveal a light blue dress before lighting the rest of the candles. The interior contradicted the exterior with glorious designs and decorations. With the bright light, they could fully appreciate the ornate little room.

  To one side stood a large, round wooden table with an ornate base below it in the middle. Lining the top of the walls flew eagles of several designs, flaunting their brilliant wings and sharp claws with curved decorations surrounding them in impressive designs. A few bookshelves in one of the corners extended from the floor to the low ceiling and contained several books of differing sizes and colours; most of them looked very old with their spines cracked and dulled from time and use. Scattered along the walls hung a few paintings of vivid landscapes, both of which appeared foreign to the brothers, and at the very back was a small, thin door, which presumably led to the rest of the home.

  “Like I said,” Elizabeth said after closing the door behind them all. “This place is safe.”

  “Is this your home?” Max asked.

  “No, it isn’t. But I’m able to live here at the moment.”

  “This coving along the walls is quite impressive,” William admired the eagles. “How old is it?”

  “I don’t know. My guess would be very old.”

  William nodded and brushed off the obvious answer.

  Max stopped beside the round table and ran his hand along the surface. It took up most of one side of the room with eight seats around it and a large candle at the centre. Aside from the candle, only one thing laid upon the large, light wooden slab.

  A map.

  The map took up a substantial portion of the table. Max walked over to it and inspected it closely. His eyes read all of the words he could understand and glossed over others he couldn’t. William joined beside him, as did Rachel. The map displayed territories of the Brutean Kingdom and the Navarine Kingdom, but also showed so much more to the South.

  The attention to detail astonished them, the realm’s features masterfully drawn on the old parchment. At first, Max’s eyes ran across the Brutean Kingdom, recognizing all of the major cities and landmarks, before continuing into the southern kingdoms in fascination. The map
illustrated the far reaches of the Raldari Province and Sumnersen Plains. It even showed many parts of the isolated Vorshkir Kingdom. He saw mountain ranges and rivers, cities and mines, forests and marshes that he’d never known existed. William and Rachel peered over his shoulder in shared interest while Elizabeth curiously watched them. This map was far more complete than any other map they’d encountered.

  “This map is incredible,” William blurted out.

  “And valuable,” Rachel added.

  “It interests you?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Yes, very much,” Max said. “Is it yours?”

  “No.”

  “I’d like to meet the person that owns this map and see if we could make a copy of it.”

  “You’ll have to ask her.”

  Max’s admiration faded as his eyes fell upon a small dot on the map, his worry peaking. “Brymar,” he mumbled aloud. “This map has Brymar on it!” They suspiciously stared at Elizabeth for answers. “Why is Brymar on this map?” Max demanded.

  “I know nothing about Brymar.” She walked to the back of the room and opened the wooden door. “Take a seat,” she said to them, brushing off their concern. “I’ll summon the rest of us.”

  “Others,” Max muttered with concern.

  Her words started in English as she called out to someone in the back quietly. But her words transformed into another language that none of them understood, which took them by surprise. They heard another voice respond in the same tongue, another woman, with a gentle but stern voice.

  “One moment,” Elizabeth said and she walked into the back rooms, closing the door behind her.

  The anxiety built in her absence. They could still hear the conversation in a foreign language quietly through the thin door. Rachel looked as though she was ready to charge into battle, her bow in her hand and an arrow slightly sticking above the others in her quiver. The voices stopped and the door opened slowly again. Elizabeth walked in and noticed all of them still standing.