The Undying Champions (The Eternal War Book 1)

by Brennan C. Adams

  “I’d rather have him alive, of course. He’s a talented healer, an asset that Allanovian can use.”

  Pulling her hood up and rolling her shoulders, Ferin hummed with anticipation.

  “Come on, boys,” she remarked to her guards. “Let’s go beat some humans into submission.”

  She left Kheled surrounded by a handful of edgy Zrelnach. Not a single one lowered a blade or looked away, and he nervously smiled at them.

  “You know I have to try, right?” he asked, knowing he’d never get a response.

  A few shifted, but otherwise, the soldiers remained still as statues.

  “And there’s no way we can discuss this?”

  He gave them half a minute to reply, but again no one moved.

  “All right, then,” Kheled said. “Apologies for the humiliation.”

  He’d been sipping of Ele’s energy since Ferin had revealed her involvement, gradually building up the white light dancing over his skin so that it had a greater chance of remaining unnoticed. Now, however, he yanked a great deal of energy directly to his feet and released it through the middle of the sole.

  He jumped right as the white light burst from him, and the added energy allowed him to flip well above the Zrelnach’s heads. The tent’s canvas buffeted his face, hiding the joyous smile spreading there.

  One of the Zrelnach reacted faster than her companions. She swung her sword over her shoulder as Kheled fell behind her. The point raked through his flesh, scoring a cut from his hip, up his side, and behind his shoulder. He rolled when the ground met his feet, pain flaring up his right side like a blazing fire.

  Thanking his lucky stars that he’d thought to hold extra energy, Kheled discounted the wound and took off.

  Pushing tiny bursts of energy from his feet, he sped through camp, heading for the closest of Sev’s gates. Cries of surprise and anger followed in his wake, including one perfectly distinctive female voice screeching his name. He smirked, satisfied.

  The sun neared the horizon, pressuring him to use more and more of Ele. Sev’s gates closed at sunset, and once they’d shut, not even a caravan of gifted gold could pry them open again until sunrise.

  He flew across the grasslands, praying he’d make it in time. The gate drew nearer, and soon, the evidence of his failure burned in Kheled’s vision. The gate had already closed. He didn’t allow that to slow him, only skidding to a stop when his chosen egress loomed before him.

  “Open the gate!” he shouted at the battlements.

  No reply or sign of movement answered him.

  “Please! My friend will die if I can’t get into Sev tonight!”

  Again, silent stillness greeted him. Kheled screamed with frustration, sprinting to the barrier and punching it so hard that wood splintered. He yelped and brought a bruised, perhaps broken, set of knuckles to his mouth.

  Sucking absentmindedly on his hand, he desperately considered his options. There was no other way into the city. Incessant pirate attacks had sharpened Sev’s defenses such that undesired ingress was impossible.

  He’d never fully mastered shape change. If he tried to become a bird or a squirrel to hop those looming walls, there was a high chance that he’d either change back halfway over or get stuck in his adopted form.

  He’d have to hope that Raimie could survive this storm on his own. His friend might have a chance if he applied what he’d learned during lessons over the past months, and if Kheled couldn’t help his friend, he’d have to focus his efforts elsewhere. He could start by rescuing Raimie’s father.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I waved goodbye jauntily as my latest customer left the shop. MY shop. Heaving a self-satisfied sigh, I took it in once again.

  It may be cramped and the interior plain, but it was mine, bought and paid for with hard-earned coin. The years spent in the ring sparring and out of it mending had been worth it.

  Business had been good lately. The resumption of war with the human kingdoms had led to an uptick in sales as the average citizen stockpiled antiseptic and other first aid supplies. One never knew when the call to join the fight would default to your name, after all.

  The door pushed open again with a bang, and a pretty, young woman rushed in hefting a small, urchin child, stumbling under his weight. The boy whimpered in pain, his calf bent nearly in half.

  “You must help him!” the woman exclaimed as I leaped over the counter. “Please, I’ll not allow him to be crippled.”

  I gently took the boy from her arms, easily carrying him to a chair in the corner. The break looked bad with the distinct possibility of multiple fractures in the bone. I retrieved a small dose of morphine from a shelf and offered it to the boy, but the woman snatched my arm.

  “I’ve no way to pay you,” she informed me, her enormous eyes pleading for help.

  “I understand,” I told her, glancing significantly at her hand on my arm.

  The boy was more than willing to ingest the painkiller, and once it had taken effect, inducing drowsiness, I quickly set the bone and braced it. Finished with my ministrations and certain that my patient rested comfortably, I turned my attention to the woman.

  Her beauty stole my breath. With her perfectly coiffed auburn and brown hair and immaculately styled attire, she could have passed for a noble to the common man. Her clothing itself, however, with wool instead of silk and cotton rather than lace, told me she wasn’t as privileged as she first appeared.

  “I’m so sorry to burst in on you like that!” the woman said, flushed with excitement. “I’d heard you were the only healer in town to treat those of little fortune. The poor creature hurt himself guiding me through the slums. I couldn’t bring myself to abandon him.”

  “That’s quite all right. I could do with some excitement every so often. I’m Erianger,” I said, politely dipping my head. “And you are?”

  “Lirilith,” she replied, curtsying. “Oh, but I forgot. I dropped my purse in my haste to get here which means I have no way to pay you.”

  “Where did you drop it?” I asked. “Perhaps I can help you find it.”

  “It was in the slums so I doubt it’s still there. Not that I can blame whoever took it! Such a thing must’ve seemed a miracle,” Lirilith mused.

  I waited patiently for her to collect herself. At an appropriate time, I’d mention that I never charged for my services when the patient came from the slums. Their payment came in the form of information about my mother. It was the only way I could stay connected to her.

  “I know how I can repay you instead!” Lirilith said before I could explain. “Let me host dinner for you.”

  I blinked. What she’d suggested was the first stage of courting, and I wondered whether she was aware of that.

  “I-I’d be honored,” I stammered.

  A predatory grin swept across her face, and I realized I’d been played like a fiddle.

  “Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Now we must arrange an appropriate time-“

  The door banged open, rescuing me from my plight. My relief switched to alarm as I took in Arivor’s frazzled state.

  “What is it?” I asked, not sure I wanted the answer.

  “The draft’s come in,” Arivor gasped, still catching his breath. “Both our names have been called.”

  Ice settled into the pit of my stomach. I’d been trained to heal, not kill. What could I do in a war?

  But why was I even concerned for myself with this news? Arivor had a new wife and a baby on the way. The pain and terror of leaving them behind must be eating him up inside. I resolved to do what I could to keep him alive.

  Swallowing hard, I faced the woman waiting beside my patient.

  “I guess that dinner will have to wait,” I said.

  The port city of Sev was a jarring change from the weeks on the mostly abandoned plains. Even the smattering of farming towns they’d come across whilst there couldn’t have prepared Raimie for the press of thousands of strangers hurrying down streets and across squares on their bu
siness. A cacophony of sights, sounds, and scents assaulted his senses as he and Eledis passed market after market of varying sizes and types of sold goods while on their way to the harbor.

  Their objective today was to test the waters, so to speak, on ship captains’ willingness to embark on a journey to the forbidden coast of Auden. Depending on the outcome of the day’s venture, Eledis would decide whether they needed to present themselves to Sev’s governor and beg for help.

  Raimie personally thought it might be best to approach the city’s leader first. Not only would the governor have a better understanding of where they might begin their search for passage, but he considered assuaging the city’s fear of attack from their gathering of armed men outside the walls to be of paramount importance. He was concerned that every hour they spent avoiding Sev’s leadership increased the likelihood of the city’s own small army attacking theirs, but he trusted that his older, wiser grandfather knew what he was doing.

  They left behind the hustle and bustle of trade and passed through one of three gates that separated the city proper from the port. Raimie gasped at the scene that unfolded below them.

  Sev rested on a great drop-off, its port side gates opening mere feet from the edge. A wide gravel pathway carved its way into the stone face of the cliff with multiple switchbacks that eventually led to the bay below, and a large pulley and muscle driven lift carried passengers and cargo to and from the central gate.

  At the base of the cliff, a long wooden dock extended into the bay waters, hiding whatever beach may have originally lain beneath. Dozens of jetties reached still further into the waters, each surrounded by boats large and small. Hundreds of ships crowded the enclosed harbor.

  Beyond that, a modest, stone sea wall expanded the cliff’s reach on either side, leaving a wide clearing of open water in the middle to allow ships passage. The ends of the sea wall were crowned by two low towers with large bonfires and a handful of ballistae and catapults littering each pinnacle.

  In the open waters of Blackwell Bay, a fleet of galleons had weighed anchor. As Raimie looked on, a rowboat made its way back to its mother ship, perhaps transporting needed supplies for the next leg of the journey.

  Eledis opted to make the winding trek to the harbor below rather than waste coin being lowered down. Raimie and the retinue of guards followed in his wake.

  Once their feet hit the wooden pier, the old man handed out small bags to all of his followers. Raimie peered at the two gold coins and a handful of tin and copper chits within the purse.

  “We’re looking for any crew willing to transport a large group of passengers along with our supplies across the sea. Use the contents of those purses as you see fit, whether to obtain information or to bribe anyone who might need it. We’ll meet back here midafternoon,” Eledis instructed them.

  Raimie stayed behind as the other men left to complete the task.

  “Where did the money come from?” he asked suspiciously.

  He was tired of Eledis ignoring and refusing to speak to him. Even when he’d been summoned to join the expedition into Sev, Eledis withheld words, and Raimie had decided then and there that he would carry on as if the old man had never started this silent treatment. It was irrelevant if Eledis ever responded to his comments or questions. He could carry the conversation by himself if need be.

  It was to his great surprise, then, that his grandfather answered the question.

  “They’re donations from the towns we’ve helped on our journey. I have to admit, I was rather annoyed by the time lost because of your sense of honor, but I suppose it paid off in the long run. Those rural villagers have provided us with the capital we’ll need to get across the sea.”

  “I’m ecstatic that you finally approve.”

  Eledis glared at him.

  “Don’t use sarcasm with me, grandson. It doesn’t suit you well.”

  Raimie swallowed back an angry retort, choosing instead to reconcile with his grandfather.

  “You’re right, of course. I apologize if I offended you,” he said. “I’m happy that you’ve chosen to speak to me again.”

  “Yes, well, perhaps avoiding you of late has been a mistake,” Eledis acknowledged. “I should spend more time with you, both as a grandfather and as one with an abundance of experience to share. If you like, tonight we could use a small portion of this gifted coin to buy a hot meal and stay at an inn. How does that sound?”

  “That’s the best suggestion you’ve made since leaving home!” Raimie fervently replied.

  “Let’s plan on it, then. In the meantime, we should get to work, yes?” Eledis suggested with amusement.

  The two separated in an attempt to cover more ground and encounter more people. As the day wore on, Raimie became convinced that it didn’t matter how many seamen he asked about passage to Auden. Every crewmember, captain, or merchant either politely told him to bugger off or outright laughed in his face.

  Only after he paid someone to explain why she’d so heartily refused the request did he understand. Auden’s coast already made for treacherous sailing, rife with reefs and turbulent waters as they were, but in the past two decades, those ports of call that were approachable by ship had been closed off. Any boat that attempted to come near was sunk by means none seemed willing to explain or discuss. In the last five years, attempted trade and communications with the opposite continent had completely ended.

  Still, Raimie continued to make inquiries until the sun had descended halfway to the horizon. Only then did he return to the designated meeting place.

  A pair of the soldiers who’d accompanied them spoke with Eledis, shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. As Raimie came closer, they returned significantly less full purses and trudged to the beginning of the path up the cliff.

  “They had no luck as well?” Raimie asked.

  The anxious look on his grandfather’s face was answer enough.

  “I’d hoped someone might be tempted to try the journey considering how magnificently profitable it could end up becoming. Reopening the Audish market would be a boon to whomever first accomplished it, but it seems merchants have grown more cautious and cowardly in recent years.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “Now, I plan a new strategy while we find an inn that has open rooms to rent,” Eledis muttered, peering out over the waters. “Shouldn’t be too difficult. It looks as though Sev is having a slow day today.”

  Startled, Raimie took in the hundreds of boats thronging the harbor. He must have made a face because Eledis laughed heartily.

  “Come on, grandson,” he said. “I’ll take the lead.”

  Eledis chose to take the lift to ascend the cliff side for which Raimie was extraordinarily grateful. He’d easily adjusted to the first heat of spring, but this close to the ocean, the air seemed ready to burst with water. The added humidity made the temperature almost unbearable for one who’d grown up deep within the mountains. Sweat drizzled from the base of his neck all the way down his back, eagerly absorbed by his leather cuirass.

  Eledis paid the bare-chested men waiting on the lift for passengers.

  While they lingered for more to join them, Raimie desperately drank from the skin hanging off of his hip. He’d forgotten all about the thing while wandering the pier and jetties, and his stomach was only now reminding him that his body required water to survive. It wouldn’t do to lose his lunch all over a stranger or somewhere the resulting mess couldn’t be ignored.

  When the lift men had been satisfied by the number of paying customers aboard, they moved into place on each corner and tugged forcefully on the dangling ropes. The lift ascended slowly. It might have been faster to make the hike up the trail, but Raimie took full advantage of the chance to rest while he could.

  Once they’d reached the top, it was back into the hubbub of the marketplaces. Eledis paid a scruffy street urchin to guide them to a respectable inn. They’d secure a room before evening fell and find a dining spot further into the night. They’d wa
nt to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

  The street boy brought them to a modest building not far from one of the markets. The flat wood and mud homes around it had been abandoned, and while normally this might raise suspicion, such a sight seemed normal in this city. At the very least, it had become familiar to Raimie on the initial foray inside Sev’s gates.

  Eledis reached into his purse for another coin for the urchin. While he did that, Raimie entered the inn.

  An archway to the right of the entrance led into an abandoned dining room, replete with tables, chairs and a small stone fireplace. Opposite him, a rickety staircase led up to the second story, and to the left, a waist-high counter blocked in the chubby man sitting behind it.

  “Welcome, welcome!” he said, rising from his seat with difficulty and beckoning Raimie further inside. “How can I help you, young master?”

  “My grandfather and I are looking for rooms for the evening,” Raimie told the innkeeper as he approached.

  “Will it be just the two of you, young master?” the innkeeper asked as he reached for a set of keys.

  He surreptitiously glanced up and down Raimie’s body, taking in the armor and multiple weapons the young man sported. Raimie clamped down on a smile. He couldn’t blame the poor man for his caution. Not many people graced such an innkeeper’s door with more than a single sword for protection.

  “Unfortunately, yes, but I doubt you’ve enough rooms for all of my companions,” he answered absently as he inspected the inn more carefully. “We number somewhere in the thousands now.”

  The innkeeper nearly dropped the keys.

  “I-if you’ll excuse me, young master. I’ll only be a moment,” he cleared his throat. “I must ensure your rooms are properly prepared.”

  Eledis stomped in, muttering darkly to himself, after the innkeeper rounded the corner of the staircase.

  “Did you have trouble with a little kid?” Raimie asked, bemused.

  “The brat wanted an entire gold piece,” Eledis snapped. “He’s lucky he got the coin he did. I nearly beat him back to the market.”