The Rawn Chronicles Book Three: The Ancarryn and the Quest (The Rawn Chronicles Series 3)

by P D Ceanneir

  Havoc was wagging a finger and looking out the cell door deep in thought. ‘I have seen Cinnibar use her powers,’ he finally said and turned towards Molna, ‘before the Blacksword found you, mother, I watched her use her abilities on Saltyn Ri.’

  Ness Ri hissed in anger, but Shanks spoke first. ‘It is my belief that she has been instrumental in recruiting high ranking nobles to the Brethac Order over the years. Her ability to control people against their will is amazing. I have also seen this first hand, although I believe my Pyromantic powers protected me from her for she was never able to control me at all. Hence, the reason she passed me to the three Ri’s.’

  Molna spoke to him next, ‘that day when she and Kasan visited you, that was the reason for her visit. You said that she had come to take her gift from you. It makes sense now.’

  ‘A poor gift it is too,’ nodded Shanks, ‘every time she takes it from me it clears my mind and pushes her one more step closer to her own destruction. Notice how she has aged more in the past few years?’

  They all nodded.

  ‘It is destroying her from within, but she is tenacious and her Elemental powers are strong. However, with each extraction I feel better. I have discovered how to control my emotions now that I am drained of volatile energies. At first I carved Skrol symbols all over the walls of the cell, which helped me meditate. Then I took up sketching, mainly the exploits of the Blacksword, and this has helped me focus my emotions and disperse the bad ones.’

  Havoc looked around at the drawings on the walls and those that carpeted the floor. He had to admit that they were very good. Most were of the Blacksword, some were of his mother’s face, and this gave him a shiver down his back.

  ‘What more can you tell us about these Elementals?’ asked the prince. He was looking from Shanks to Lord Ness for an answer.

  The Ri pursed his lips and shook his head. ‘Not much is recorded in the Rawn Sagas,’ he said after a time, ‘it was long ago during the time of the Bergelonian Kings and the building of the great city of our ancestors. There were four types of Elementals each with a strong “link” to one particular element.’ He began naming the four on his fingers, ‘we already know about the Waternymphs, then there was the Terraseers who had control of the earth element and with it the ability to see into the future just a dragons do, the next were the Stormwraiths who controlled the wind element and found enlightenment as spirits. It is said they now live in great storms far out to sea. Lastly there were the Firesprites, which may well be another name for a Pyromancer. Even in those days Firesprites were rare. The “Undesirables”, as they were sometimes called, started a war with the Eldi….’

  At this point Shanks interrupted, ‘actually, the war was of the Eldi’s doing,’ he said, ‘the Elementals were peaceful people who wanted to move away from the Rawn teachings and focus on their own religion. This act did not go down too well with the Elders. The Elementals later built the great temple that was called the Brethac Ziggurat, the Temple of the Firstborn.’

  ‘Who were the Firstborn, the My’thos?’ asked Molna.

  Shanks shook his head, but also shrugged. Lord Ness said, ‘no, not the My’thos. The Firstborn were often regarded as one of the Five Who Speak.’

  ‘Ahh I see…’ said Havoc, ‘I read something about them in Hallam’s Law of the Cosmos in my days at the Academy. They were the first five life forms on the planet with intelligence. Didn’t the dragons mention them long ago before the days of the Dragor-rix?’

  ‘Yes, that’s how the Eldi knew of them,’ answered Lord Ness. ‘Dragons are also one of the five, then humans, My’thos, Firstborn and finally the Spirit Elementals. The last two we know very little about.’

  ‘The Eldi knew far more than is actually recorded in the Rawn Sagas,’ intoned Shanks, ‘they spoke about them often in their Grymwards.’

  ‘Erm…what’s a Grym…’ asked Havoc. He noticed his mother nodding in understanding.

  ‘Grymward,’ answered Lord Ness, ‘were diaries that the twelve Eldi kept to record their thoughts and discoveries. They are lost to us now though, much sought after. Monarchs and lords of far-flung lands have orchestrated great quests in an attempt to find them, to no avail.’

  ‘On the contrary, Master, the Brethac Ziggurat has them,’ said Shanks.

  ‘What?’ Ness Ri was stunned.

  Shanks was nodding, ‘it is true. I have seen them for myself, they rest inside a glass cabinet in Cinnibar’s secret library room. The Brethac Order holds that there is a large amount of historical information hidden within the pages of the Grymwards; they refer to it as the “Secret History” about the Elemental War. They believe that the history was suppressed by the Eldi, which does account for the lack of historical evidence of those days. Nevertheless, it makes one wonder at the efforts the Eldi went through to eradicate such knowledge, even if it’s deemed so terrible to be public knowledge. What we know about the Elemental War may not be the actual truth, it seems.’

  ‘Tell them about the Dark Tanis,’ asked Molna in a tone of excitement laced with dread.

  ‘Dark what?’ said Havoc.

  Lord Ness sighed, ‘that’s just a myth.’

  ‘Not according to the dragons or those Grymwards,’ said Molna, ‘Shanks has already explained it to me. As you know, the Dark Force of the Earth is a mass of energy, a preternatural entity; the Dark Tanis is a sort of body for it to be housed in…’

  ‘“Clothed in Flesh” is how the diaries described it,’ cut in Shanks, ‘it seems that the “essence” of the Five Who Speak is needed to create this body. Do not ask me what the essence is, I could not find out, and if I did, then I have forgotten it. Nevertheless, this clothed entity is said to be indestructible, but vulnerable to only one thing, Pyromantic Energy. This is why I believe that the My’thos have created the Blacksword as their champion. ’

  They all looked at Havoc who just sat there staring at Shanks.

  Lord Ness fidgeted and then spoke slowly as if thinking aloud, ‘the dragons did speak of this Dark Tanis. However, I was led to believe they spoke figuratively, in a form of allegory. It’s certainly not a real danger.’

  Shanks shrugged, ‘perhaps so, master. This could all be part of the Secret History, a warning message to the world. At least, that’s what the Brethac Order assumes and their sole existence is to see the Earth Daemon free.’

  ‘And the Blacksword destroyed,’ added Havoc. Shanks acknowledged that statement with a single nod.

  There was silence for a while until Molna said, ‘well, the next question is; did they ever find this Secret History?’

  Shanks chuckled, ‘no, my dear Molna, which is another reason they swept me through the ranks of the Order.’ He turned towards Lord Ness, ‘as you know, master, I have a keen grasp of Skrol and mathematics’.

  ‘Yes,’ acknowledged the Ri, ‘your academic papers of Chaos Theory and String Algorithms are still regarded as exceptional pieces of work at the Academy.’

  ‘Well, the Grymwards are laced with complex Skrol and Chaos Equations that no one back in those days knew anything about, that is until I came along.’ At this point, he tapped the side of his head, ‘knowledge is power. That is what Cinnibar wanted.’

  ‘So what do the Grymwards say?’ Havoc asked.

  Shanks chuckled again, ‘I would tell you if I still had memories of those days, but fortunately I kept them to myself when I left Sonora. Hidden away from the Brethac Order, and deposited them in a very safe place.’

  ‘In my fathers head,’ Havoc slumped back on the bed, suddenly realising that his body had been tense all of this time throughout the conversation.

  ‘Exactly,’ smiled Shanks.

  Lord Ness smiled back, ‘you clever man.’

  ‘Thank you, master.’

  There was a long pause as everyone was left with his, or her, thoughts. Havoc felt a strong bond to the Baron, whether it was because they shared the same curse or because they had gone through similar hardships, it seemed a bond that thrille
d him just as much as it confused him. However, the obvious affection his mother showed towards Shanks was making him cautious to this man’s intentions.

  His musings were broken when his mother stood up.

  ‘Lord Ness,’ she said, ‘I do not wish to leave here without Shanks. He must take my place on the ship.’

  ‘Your majesty I...’ protested the Ri.

  ‘Mother is right he cannot stay here,’ said Havoc who had come to the same conclusion some time ago but wondered why he said it. Inside the confines of his head the Blacksword was agreeing with the queen. The fact that there was another person in the world like him may have been the reason. ‘If Aunt Cinnibar was to read your mind and know what you have said to us, then she will surely kill you.’

  ‘You are correct, my lord, although I have held onto my most cherished memories, locked away where she will not find them. But even those are not safe from her, she will discover them if she tried,’ said Shanks.

  ‘That settles it then,’ said Molna, ‘Lord Ness will take you to the ship. It will sail as soon as the storm passes.’ Havoc got the feeling that the storm will take a long time to pass and he was not thinking about the one above Dulan-Tiss.

  The Blacksword watched from the roof of an old warehouse as the duo braved the rain and went onboard the cargo ship. Lord Ness had been the first to voice his concerns about bringing Baron Telmar back from the grave and into Aln-Tiss, but the prince and his mother would have to cross that bridge later. It was obvious to all that they could not hide the baron’s identity from the Rogun king. They had managed to convince the Ri that Telmar was better left inside the security of the Rogun capital than being a tool for Cinnibar. Removing him meant the Brethac Order had no contact with their Earth Daemon and Lord Ness reluctantly agreed with their logic.

  The Blacksword waited until Ness Ri and Shanks were out of sight in the hold, no other movement was seen on the ship, everyone was below decks keeping out of the storm. The ships rigging whipped about in the rain-lashed air as the wind shook the boat back and forward. The line of other ships, on both sides, bobbed in unison as the tide went out, causing them all to strain against their mooring ropes.

  Ketrigan and Molna had escorted Shanks and his former master to the ship while Havoc sneaked off to change into the Blacksword and watch the party board the vessel from a high vantage point. The old prisoner, clothed in a hooded tatty grey robe, shuffled alongside Lord Ness. Even the thumps of his knarled staff seemed loud enough for the Blacksword to hear through the pounding of the rain on the warehouse’s tin roof. There was a fear that Ketrigan would ask too many questions about why the queen was swapping places with a prisoner, but even if the spy had seen the baron’s face, he would not recognise him. To his credit, he asked no questions and accepted the queen’s orders with a silent nod.

  The Blacksword continued to watch until their Sonoran Captain roused the ships crew. Sailors quietly lowered the two rowboats. Crew on the deck unfurled the stern sails, and slowly under the power of wind and oar, the bulky cargo ship moved out of the wide harbour mouth, soon the night swallowed the ship from his view.

  He was about to extract SinDex and look into the Muse Orrinn to find out if the princes mother was back in her apartment, when alarm bells went off in his head. There was a presence close by. No, there were two of them.

  Out of the corner of his black eyes he saw a cloaked shape leaping from the opposite warehouse roof. Rain whipped in every direction around him as it attacked using the arts to boost his or her lift. He detected a strong gust, formed into a hard ball of air, it nearly slammed into his chest but he used the Arts to nullify its effects and it washed over him harmlessly. The Rawn assailant was so close that it somersaulted over the Blacksword’s head and brought his sword down onto the his back. If he had not been reaching for his sword at the time then he would surely have a nasty slash down his spine. As it turned out, he had pulled SinDex out halfway and the antagonists blade rattled off it as he, or she, flew overhead. With agility born of years of training, the attacker landed with feline grace and turned towards him. She, and she was clearly female, wore a hooded robe of deep purple, slightly open at the waist to reveal a short skirt, and well muscled bare legs above knee-high laced boots.

  The second attacker appeared behind him. He twisted round to meet the slashing blade as he quickly unsheathed the Sword that Rules and parried the high chopping blow that was aimed at his midriff. He could see them both now, Havants both of equal height and hooded in their purple cloaks and both now paired up and attacked him.

  The sound of clashing swords joined the staccato patter of rain on the flat slate roof. The Blacksword was eager to draw them both away from this area, away from the harbour and the Rogun ship’s cargo of escapees, so once there was a lull in the fight he turned and leapt over to the next warehouse, using the wind element to push him across the fifty-foot gap. He heard one of the Havant’s sneers behind him as he leapt.

  The next building had a flatter roof and several glass skylights in the shape of pyramids six feet high. He had just landed and turned when the two Havants landed on each side of him. He knocked away their skilful attacks with amazing speed and the Blacksword was equally aware af how well trained these two were. He would be wise not to underestimate them. Suddenly, one of them conjured a ball of red flame and threw it towards him, while the other distracted him with a low undercut towards his legs. He had no time to swat the Fireball with his sword so he whipped SinDex around, catching his attacker’s low sweep and reached out his left hand to catch the burning orb. The thing juddered in his hand when he caught it and he slowly closed his fingers over the Fireball. He used a combination of three elements, water, fire and wind to extinguish it in front of their eyes. Both Havants exchanged looks with one another. Even the Blacksword felt a moment of glee at undertaking a task of controlling three elements at once, most powerful Rawn struggle with using two at a time. Havoc chuckled in his head, but he could feel the prince was notably impressed.

  The Blacksword attacked the Fire thrower before she could throw another ball of heat. The second Havant swooped in to help her companion, and SinDex smashed away her sword as it was brought down on his back. Now both of them had quickly moved to his flanks, he sent a trickle of the earth element into the Sword that Rules, and split his weapon in two, Sin in his left hand and Dex in the right, blocking both Havant strikes as they lunged at him. There was a sharp sound of surprise from one of the girls and the Blacksword moved forward into their hesitant attack, slashing away both blades and pushing them back. At one point, they stepped dangerously close to him and their blades passed by him on either side with inches to spare, which was exactly what he wanted. Although he had no room to move his own weapons to counter-attack, instead, he knelt down, rammed both swords’ point first into the roof and let go of the dragon hilts. He gripped the slim muscular legs of the Havant’s and lifted them bodily of the ground, flipping them over his shoulder. They both made grunting noises as they landed on their backs.

  He chuckled as they scampered away from him on their back and quickly stood back up. Each assuming an attacking stance and both breathing heavily.

  The Blacksword did not rush as he then took his swords back out of the roof and joined the Muse Orrinn and the Earth Orrinn together so the sword resembled a double-ended sword staff. He flourished it over his head and around his back. He then waited in an attacking crouch for the Havants to rush him.

  Once again, both girls exchanged looks. Their surprise at the Blacksword’s prowess and the manipulation of his sword was evident, but they attacked anyway. With SinDex in this form, he found it easier to counter attack when the Havants tactically moved to his left and right. He deliberately moved them closer to one of the skylights, shifted quickly from one foot to another, upsetting the balance of the fight. He feigned left then knocked away an attack from the girl on his left, then swung the sword staff low at the feet of the other who quickly had to jump and summersault into the air
to avoid the sharp blade of Sin. The Blacksword quickly spun on his left heel kicking the other girl in the gut with his right foot as she returned to attack after the feigning move. The force of the kick sent her backwards at incredible speed and crashing into the thin glass of the pyramid skylight. She tumbled down into the darkness of the warehouse.

  ‘Serena!’ cried aloud the second Havant who had just landed back on the slippery roof, but the Blacksword gave her no respite. He separated Sin and Dex into two again and trapped her sword in both of his. He deftly flicked it out of her hand then used the wind element, forming into a concentrated hard ball to punch her chest, ironically the same move she had primarily attacked him with, she grunted as the wind-punch struck her and forced her off her feet. She yelled in pain as her back slammed off the edge of the skylights frame and she fell over the parapet onto the angled slate roof.

  Tia slid down the roof lubricated by the rain. Slates jostled out of position as she franticly fumbled for purchase, but the edge came upon her quicker than she thought. She dug in her feet to slow her down and that gave her the time to reach out her hand and grab the metal guttering at the last second as she zoomed over the edge.

  She hung there catching her breath. A sixty-foot drop into darkness lay below her. She knew she would be able to use the wind element to soften her landing, but was concerned for Serena and everything happened so quickly that she could not focus her concentration on the Arts. Suddenly, the forty-foot length of guttering broke away from the wall. She screamed just as a long fingered hand, as white and as cold as snow, gripped her right arm and hauled her back onto the roof. The Blacksword held her up for a couple of seconds. Her feet dangling uselessly several inches from the roof; she thought about kicking out at his chest, but he threw her a few feet from him where she landed, undignified, onto her back.