by Jesse Teller
“Rayph, Drelis, this is my dear friend Whelter.”
Rayph nodded and looked Whelter in the face. One eye had been ripped out, the eyelids puckered and dry. The appearance gave him a restless look, as if he craved violence. He smiled at Rayph, and Rayph’s blood went cold.
“Want to come along?” Betten asked. There was a silent sign between them, and Whelter nodded. He stepped beside Rayph and dropped a hand across Rayph’s back. The slap was destined to bruise, Rayph was sure.
They walked shining new streets, walking past buildings, modest and grand. They came to a great structure in the very center of the city, and Whelter loosed a whistle that sent slivers of pain through Rayph’s head.
Rayph watched as men walked around them, eyeing him and his strange clothing. Rayph pulled in his aura, feeling nothing. He fought again to pull in his power, but it did not come.
“What have you done to me?” he snarled at Betten.
Betten ignored him, and Rayph stared, terrified at the great door to the hall that opened slowly. Out walked a man, massive in build, carrying an impossibly large sword, wearing black pants and no shirt. His hair was thick and red, showing a bit of gray, and he sat on the stairs as other men joined them. They did not sit, but sprayed out into the street around Rayph like blood from a wound.
“Who are these?” the man asked. He looked casual, as if he were not sitting before anything powerful at all. Rayph realized he could not even call for his sword, and he thought of the fetish on his chest, knowing it was the only power he had left.
“His name is Rayph,” Betten said. “She is called Drelis.”
“Demontser. I am Drelis Demontser,” she said with a curtsy.
The man looked at her with dark eyes. If these other men did not know her, this one did.
“He is a caster from the outland. We should know her, or so it would seem. He wants to talk to Daro. He has eaten Blalm root flakes. He is a danger to no one.”
Rayph froze, his blood running cold as he clenched his fists helplessly.
“I am Flak Redfist, son of Jessop, father of Peter. I want no quarrel with you, and wish to send you home unharmed.”
“Husband of Jocelyn,” Drelis said.
Flak stared for a long time, and Whelter stepped from beside them to behind.
“He doesn’t get Daro,” a man said. He seemed young, carried a massive shield, but his body was that of a monster. He stood almost eight feet tall, and his chest was the size of a wagon. He had about him an air of savagery, as if the blood of a beast boiled within his veins.
“A dear friend of mine has been attacked by a blood mage, and I need to speak to one in order to find a cure to her affliction,” Rayph said.
“That is half-true,” a man said, as he stepped forward, staring at Rayph.
Flak motioned to this man and smiled. “This is my good friend, Earl Flurryfist. Earl thinks you’re telling me a lie.” Flak waved a hand to Rayph. “Continue.”
Earl was a head taller than all these men and stood before Rayph with hands wrapped in bandages as if he had been punching something or someone. He had intelligent eyes and an even temper. “Tell them the rest,” Earl said.
“I aim to kill the blood mage who attacked her, and I need to know how to do that.”
“You want Daro to teach you how to kill one of her own kind?” the shield bearer said.
“That is exactly right. Will you take me to her?”
“No,” the shield bearer stated.
“I need Mole,” Flak said.
“I am here, master.” A long, lean man wearing a bandage over both eyes stepped from around the hall and dropped to a crouch not far away.
“Excuse me for a moment, stranger. I must confer with my people,” Flak said.
Rayph nodded. He expected Flak to walk away but the man did not. He held no fear of Rayph’s and Drelis’s opinion or device.
“What can you tell me, Mole?”
The gaunt man stepped forward and sniffed at Rayph. He walked around him, though Rayph was sure he could not see through the wraps over his eyes. He walked a complete circuit around Rayph, then nodded and retook his place.
“He is a spellcaster,” Mole said. “I don’t smell the Rhino on him, but he may have been cleaned.”
Flak nodded. He turned to Rayph. “Are you thirsty or hungry?” Flak asked.
“We are not.”
“Why do you need to talk to Daro?”
“I am at war with a blood mage in my land and seek a way to kill him and to heal his victims. A dear friend and companion has been harmed by him and is close to death.”
“I know of a blood mage, but you may not see her on summons. If she senses you, then she will come to you, but I will not interrupt her teaching of others in her craft.”
Rayph nodded. Disappointment rose within him, and with it came frustration and helplessness. “The man I fight is a great evil. He threatens the whole of the continent, and I am in a hurry,” Rayph said.
“No, you are not. You are patient and mindful of the ways of war. You will not walk into an army’s city and start making demands. You know there is no future in that,” Flak said. “You will drink with me and await our blood mage. You will do this because you know it is the only thing you can do.”
Rayph was handed a mug by a teenage boy, and he thanked him.
“Can you ask him about Peter, Father?” Earl asked. Flak looked at Rayph and his eyes seemed to come alive.
“I will ask you, only because you have come from the outside world, though the chances of you having met our king chief are slight.”
“If I have seen him, I will tell you, though I recall no Peter I am aware of.” Rayph drank lightly from the mug, enjoying the exotic brew and wondering what grain it was made from.
“He is young but walks the world as a giant,” Flak said. “He has red hair and a strong face. He carries a white bladed sword he calls Calm, and he travels with three young men beyond compare. His name is Peter Redfist and he is my son.”
Rayph’s heart stopped, and all present noticed it. He thought of Aaron, held by Jetula in the bowels of the Speckled Lady. “I know of a boy without compare who said this name Peter Redfist to me. I think him nearly insane with rage.”
Every eye lit up, and Flak looked as if he would cry. “Was his name Aaron the Marked?” Collectively, the whole of the assembly held their breath, and Rayph nodded. “Did he travel with a boy king?”
“He did not,” Rayph said.
The group exhaled as one, and Rayph held his hand up. “Though he mentioned one that was coming to cut him free and avenge his captivity.”
Weapons sprang to hands. As Flak flexed his hand, a wind kicked up and his mighty sword appeared there, disappearing off his back to reappear in his grip. Rayph heard Whelter pull his axe from his back, and his blood froze.
“You speak of a hero of our people,” Flak said. “A man who serves my son and king chief. Be very careful when you answer this question and know that I have never been lied to and not known it. Are you the one who has captured my son’s man?” Death, Rayph saw death in the man’s eyes, but it was held in tight check by a well-tempered mind.
“This Aaron the Marked is not a man we would put in danger. I would not allow it,” Drelis said. She stepped forward, and Earl placed a hand in the middle of her chest and pushed her back very gently.
“The boy was not my prisoner,” Rayph said. “I saw him in the custody of an acquaintance. I tried to buy his freedom, but she would not sell. She spoke of devouring him at her leisure, but he spoke of her death while in her chains. He knew no fear, only confidence and wrath.”
Flak stared. He smiled and shook his head. “At least we can be sure we speak of the same boy.” The group of them laughed.
Earl stepped before Flak, turning his back to both of them as if they presented no danger whatever. “When he leaves, have him take me with him. I will pound Aaron free and—”
“You know I can’t let that happen,” Fl
ak said. “You are one of my generals. Your army cannot be stopped, and you know Peter’s mind. You are too valuable.”
“Then send me,” Whelter said.
“I cannot do that either, for almost the same reason. I need every powerful warrior I have on the field. We are all that remains, and it will rise again. We know this. We must be strong. You are a formidable general in this war. I cannot do without you.”
“Then what will we do?” the shield bearer said.
Flak smiled. “We will buy an ally.” Flak stood, stepped close to Rayph, and extended his hand. Rayph moved to shake it, and Flak grabbed his whole arm and shook it hard with an impossibly tight grip. “I need you to free that boy and give him a message for me. In return, I will summon Daro and see if she can help you.”
“That is a perfect arrangement. I agree wholeheartedly,” Drelis said. Rayph and Flak both looked at her.
“Good, then I will hold you to your word,” Flak said.
“How can we take the word of these people we do not know?” Betten asked.
“We have to. We have no other choice.”
At that, the most beautiful girl Rayph had ever seen stepped from behind Flak and shared a breathtaking smile. Her hair was spun gold. Her face held a peace and kindness that ran before her like a cool stream. She stepped in front of Rayph, and everyone held their breath. Earl seemed about ready to crush Rayph’s skull with one of his huge, scarred fists. The girl touched Rayph’s face, and he smiled at her.
“When you find Aaron, give him this for my Peter.” She held out her hand and placed an impossibly large arrowhead in his hand. She folded his fingers closed, and Rayph looked her in the perfect green eyes. She was pristine in almost every way, and Rayph found himself nearly in tears. He dropped to his knees, not knowing why he would do such a thing, and he kissed her hand.
“It will be done.”
The girl turned, and at that moment, he knew who she reminded him of. She walked, talked and carried herself like the queen of Lorinth, whom Rayph loved so much. He realized if this was Peter’s love, then a queen was exactly what she was.
“I will not take them both. And if Daro does not want to see him, I will not make her,” the shield bearer said.
Flak nodded.
Drelis stepped before Flak and simply looked at him.
“Would you like to stay with us, milady?” Flak said. “There are a few things I would ask you.”
Drelis curtsied, and Rayph was led away.
He was set outside a cave, and Whelter placed an arm around Rayph’s shoulders. The man smelled of blade oil and leather. He also smelled of violence and death.
“I have talked with her. She has agreed to see you,” the shield bearer said. “She already knew you were here to see her and was waiting for your agreement before she accepted you. Evidently, she knew you had seen Aaron. Don’t ask me how she does that, but her sight has served us many times in this war.”
Rayph nodded. “You will be coming with me to ensure her safety?”
“I will. And if you move to harm her, I will make a mess of you that I will be cleaning for days. Do you understand?” the young man said.
Whelter laughed and smiled, patting Rayph on the back. “Be careful and good luck. I hope she can help you.”
Rayph nodded and entered the cave. As he stepped in, he felt the eyes of some great power fall upon him, and he stopped. “I come in peace and with dire need.”
“Come, Ivoryfist. You have been expected.” The voice sounded young, and Rayph wondered at that.
He stepped into the gloom, fighting to see anything before he opened his third eye. He saw moving currents of cool air and a warm aura radiating before him. He sat before it, and it giggled.
“How may I help you, Rayph?”
“A friend of mine has been attacked by a member of your order. I need to know how to save her and how to kill her attacker.”
“You are an outlander. The only possible person you could be referring to is the Lover.”
“Tell me of the Lover,” Rayph said.
“He came to us many years back, in my mother’s time, when I was her assistant. I would venture to say that was about two hundred and some years ago. He begged our help. Told us his love was in danger and he needed a way to save her. She had come down with some blood disease and only our magic could restore her. We told him her disease would kill her before he learned how to help her. He told us a time-stopping spell had been cast on her. We did not understand this magic, but we took him at his word. My mother refused to teach him, and he was cast out.
“But Tristan the Lover would not leave. He haunted our lands, our guardians attacked him, and he took beating after beating, near death many times and calling out for our help. After many months, my mother took him as a student. He learned how to purify blood and how to wield its power. When he left, he thanked us and gave us a gift.
“He came back not long after. He said there must be a way to reverse death, said his lover had been killed by a blood beast and he wanted us to reverse the plague. He told us of a creature that devoured blood to continue in its living death, and he was laughed away. We cast him out, this time to stay, and after a while, he left.
“But I saw in his face even then that his love for his woman was too great for him to do as we instructed him.”
“What did you tell him to do?”
“Kill her for good with the power of the blood we had given him. He left and was never seen again.”
“This was two hundred years ago? How is that possible?” Rayph said. “He is a human. He has not the capabilities to live that long. Is it possible you are mistaken?”
She sparked a fire to life, and he gazed at her in wonder. She looked no more than seven years of age, maybe. “Age has little effect on my kind. We must keep our blood pure. In doing so, the aging process is slowed down greatly.”
“How old are you?”
“Three hundred and years.”
Rayph nodded. “So how do I kill him?”
“Why do you want to?”
“He joined the monsters he described, and now leads them in a play for domination of the world. If I cannot stop him, then in time, all of us are doomed.”
“He can only die by the hand of blood’s guardian, or the hand of death itself.”
“Name blood’s guardian,” he said.
“Bone,” she replied.
Rayph nodded. “Is there any more I must know to defeat this evil?”
“Nothing more I can say.”
“Thank you. Now on to another subject. A friend of mine was struck by him. She began sweating blood. A fever gripped her and—”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“As far as I know, she is still alive.”
The girl shook her head. “Nothing could have saved her that you would know to give her.”
“I stopped the fever.”
The girl laughed and nodded, clapping. “Very good, Ivoryfist. Very well done.”
“How do I save her?”
“She must ingest blood to be restored. Blood can be healed by blood.”
Rayph thanked her and turned to go. He stopped at the cave’s entrance and turned back.
“What did he give you as a gift?” Rayph asked.
The girl smiled and threw something small and thin to him. He snatched it from the air and looked at it. It appeared to be a small piece of dry meat. It was tough and sharp and looked old.
“Meat? How old is this?”
“This is a strip of his heart. Without it, he cannot die. It must be destroyed at the moment the rest of his heart dies.”
Rayph gripped it tight and grinned. “Thank you, Daro. You have saved many lives.”
She smiled, and he turned to go.
Betten gave him a handful of berries when he returned from the cave. “Eat these. They’re sour, but they’ll counteract the root. I hope you understand. Caution was needed.”
Rayph and Drelis said goodbye to the heroes o
f the mountain. Flak looked as if he had just had a troubling conversation.
“Will I ever know the subject of that talk?” Rayph asked.
Drelis shook her head. “That is a bit of my past you are not welcome to. I hope you understand.”
Rayph nodded. They hurried back to Trysliana’s side.
Into a Hive
“Hello, boys and girls, I’m back. Did you miss me?” Trysliana said over the fetish.
“Thank the gods. Where are you? I have to see you with my own eyes,” Smear said.
“I will come find you, honey. Just let me say goodbye to your competition. This sweet grewla has kept me so well. I dare say he has almost won my heart.”
Drelis laughed, and Sisalyyon snickered. Smear kind of growled, and Rayph looked at Trysliana, who walked over to Humdor and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for all you did for me, hon. I will not soon forget it.”
“Was an honor to serve such a beautiful lady. One day, Humdor hopes to see you again,” the grewla said.
“And you will. Just let me take care of a few pressing matters and I will come back to visit. I will have to bring my man with me to meet you. I’m sure you will get along just fine.”
“Humdor has heard many stories about Smear Kond the trimerian,” he said. “Not many trimerians get along with me.”
“Not many grewla have saved the life of his love. Smear will meet you with open arms. I promise.”
Rayph was not too sure Smear was capable of doing such a thing, but he would not say as much to Trysliana. Rayph opened a portal, and they stepped through it, entering Hemlock deep into the night. “You can have one hour with each other, then it is back to work. I have a job for us to do and it cannot wait.”
“What? Rayph, you’re not going to drive home the ‘I told you so’? We disobeyed, and I nearly died for it,” Trysliana said. “You can’t be about to let that go, are you?”
“He has already made his point a few times. Leave us to tell you about it,” Dreark said.
The Manhunters laughed.
“Where are you headed, boss?”
“Back to the Speckled Lady. I must talk to Jetula before it is too late.”