“Father, it’s me, why don’t you look at me?”
Shiiv finally got up and walked closer to his son and hugged him. The goblin magician felt a pleasant warmth to be embraced by his father, and remembered the time that he was still in the tribe.
“Son, i know you’ve been very busy, but i want to show you something.”
Sgnilliv was following his father, so they came close to several cages occupied by many elves.
“We caught them near the creek, they were acting strangely, like wild beasts.”
The goblin mage then realized that the elves did not seem to be a purebred.
Shiiv, realizing three open cages and some destroyed trees near the camp of goblins, quickly grabbed his sword and walked out toward the body of an elf unrecognizable, played in the middle of a bush. Sgnilliv approached his father with caution, having watched the elves prisoners, and said:
“How did they escape from the cages so quickly?”
“I don’t know, but i’ll find out who caused this problem. The cages were locked, and their bars do not seem to have been forced.”
After walking along with his father for a few hours under the sun rays that invaded the forest, Sgnilliv felt that the captured elves could be any new species. They had pointed ears, and their bodies were more deformed as if they had suffered a severe mutation. He looked carefully to his father, Shiiv rolled with the tip of his sword small pieces of wings found in front of a very dark cave.
“These are wings from the skeleton fairies.”, Sgnilliv said.
“Yes, but what these creatures were doing here in the forest?” “It’s better to enter the cave. Perhaps they are evacuating to more secure places.”
Holding a torch as he looked sure to follow the stalactites dangling from the ceiling of the cave, Sgnilliv was walking ahead. His father, aware of any strange noises he heard, followed behind, wielding his sword of steel and giving the floor to see if there was any hint or sign. When they arrived at the end of the cave, they were surprised to find that dozens of skeleton fairies came out of inside the found bodies of elves mutants. The strange elfs writhed, and one of them ran toward Shiiv, but a fireball exploded with violence against the elf.
Shiiv, while observing the burning hands of his son, spent some time without saying a word. His advice was totally ignored, he never wanted Sgnilliv became a magician, because he thought it might bring bad luck and misery for his tribe. A goblin should be a warrior, as tradition dictates. His son disrespected ancient customs passed by all generations, so he felt a great punishment should be applied.
“Son, why do you have disobeyed me?”
“I don’t understand, dad. What are you saying?” “You are a magician. You didn’t follow my advice.”
With the body weakened by the terrible fighting against the necromancers, Edryon sat beside a small pile of coals and put his hand on what was remained of his left ear. He felt the blood dripping through his fingers, and heard the skeleton faerie saying:
“That way you will die. Don’t even know how to stop bleeding.”
“Are you awake, demon? You’re lucky to still be alive. I would prefer my ravens, they do not give me much trouble like you.”
“Let me out of here. I’m hungry.”
Edryon smiled and gave the tips of his fingers to the faerie, and when she tried to bite them, he pulled back out of the cage. After realizing that the elementals were no longer in front of the entrance of town, the gray elf pushed the stone gates, and managed to enter the local. He left Snow tied up near a place that seemed to be some kind of construction, and he preferred to walk and observe the city closely. Men with scaly and rigid skin passed him frightened, and some entered into their primitive houses. Edryon did not understand why those people chose to live in such a dangerous place.
But when he watched closely, he found that men were not common inhabitants of the city, as they walked with difficulty, and their bodies were marked by beatings and whippings. They were slaves, working for their masters, and there were also some women, but they were almost always in the most terrible humiliations. A place like this could not be a city, then Edryon concluded that it could be a kind of fortress, protected by fire elementals. Perhaps the necromancers were bringing new slaves to the local, and the elemental warriors were only their servants, ready to kill anyone who dared to invade the place.
When he walked a little further down the road covered with stones, Edryon received a kick in the back, losted the balance and fell to the ground. He turned to see who had beaten him, and a necromancer drew a big hatchet, attacking in his direction. The elf threw his shield steel in front, to try to protect himself from the attack, the blade of the weapon hitted his shield, exploding sparks through the air. Edryon then discovered that another man had chained Snow, and his anger increased even more. But he was also seized by the arms, and then the necromancer arrested him with chains on his legs.
The elf, after waiting the two men were a little distracted by Snow, managed to steal the keys that unlock the chains. He pulled his staff of spells carefully, that he had stolen, and shook the artifact, in the hope that could arise a big radius to explode on the men. A large black cloud appeared on them, who received a flurry of lightning that made the necromancers to turn into ashes. Edryon stared at the artifact, not knowing that a simple-looking object could contain such powerful spells. But despite having destroyed the necromancersd, his desire to end all the evil group grew each day.
He came near Snow and removed the chains that bounded him, the animal seemed uneasy, and rocked his body to leave the iron cage onto the floor. The skeleton faerie uttered a shriek:
“Can i not to sleep in peace?”
“Yes, here in the hell, along with the elementals. You have no usefulness.”, Edryon said, after clearing his silver spear with a old brown cloth.
“Do not hurry, i can bother you much less if you help me. Let me go with you.”
“Can you do something worthwhile?” “I can go to places you could never reach, and you don’t want to walk around without a companion, is not it?”
“I don’t know, but you just saw how they died? I am the best necromancer hunter of Fynge!”
“Yes, i do not doubt that!”, said the faerie, with a grin on his face.
“Do you have a name?”, said the elf, looking suspiciously at the little creature.
“Shasta.”
“This is not the name of a faerie.”, said Edryon while mumbling.
“Edryon is not an elf’s name.”, Shasta looked at the elf with a mocking air.
When putting the key in the lock, turning the handle of the iron door of his room, Thelron remembered that he had left two red candles lit on top of his table. He quickly opened the door and looked into his magic books, they were intact, the candles ended without anything more happening. He sat on his bed of straw and kicked a rat that was near his left foot. He layed down and tried to forget the turmoil of recent days, remembered Edryon, and when the sickle was leaning on his neck.
He had no intention to harm his brother, though did not agree with his ideas. He felt that should help him to find another way, and when he scratched his head concerned, he realized that many strands of big white hair came off with ease. He looked at his wrinkled hands, ran to the mirror of her wardrobe, very scared. He was facing an old elf, who did not look anything like the young necromancer who was always dreaming of power. He gently pulled the loose skin of his left arm, still trying to understand the situation. The ritual gave him an amazing power of regeneration, but he also was aging rapidly.
Thelron screamed while strongly knocked his closet with violence, and broke the windows with his hands. The blood spreaded across the green carpet, and on the covers of his grimoires. He knelt down, grabbed one of the books, teared each page with a fury that could not be measured. He took one of the rats and forcefully pulled his head with his teeth. He approached near his collection of shields with his mouth bloodied, and was throwing each other through the
broken window, hitting a few people who crossed the road.
With his wrists covered with blood, he layed on the carpet, desperate, then he remembered Edryon. A deep sadness came over him, when he saw again on his thoughts, his brother lying there, injured and abandoned, in the middle of the road. Thelron could have helped and taken him to his house. He felt that this time he had gone too far, had exceeded his own values. Edryon would never leave him alone in any situation. And neither would abandon him in the middle of a war. The necromancer took his silver scythe throwed near his bed, thought about taking his own life. He did not deserve to live like a worm, as a selfish parasite who thinks only of himself.
With great difficulty, arose with the sickle in his hand, touched the tip of the blade into his chest. Doubts roamed his mind with great speed, he no longer knew what to do. It would be pointless the death, he still wanted to show the world that he was able to help those who needed his advice and his combat skills. He walked the road with the weakened body to get in front of a magnificent temple. The Sacred Order of Priests was regarded as an important organization for those who needed spiritual guidance and healing.
When he reached the end of the marble steps of the staircase from the main entrance of the temple, Thelron collapsed near the large iron gates. His blurred vision did not recognize the figure who approached him, but he heard a voice that seemed familiar:
“Get up. If you had the strength to come here, you should be ashamed of lying as a cripple.”
The necromancer quickly recognized Salur, his childhood friend. After a terrible invasion of thugs who torched Shannen, leaving the city in flames, Thelron and his family were forced to move to Hanneris.
“I did not know… you was in Hanneris.”, Thelron said, his voice was very weak.
“Get up. I told you, i do not know who you are.”
“I’m Thelron, do you not remember?”
“No. Get up there now or i’ll have to arrest you.”
“Salur, help me, please. I know i was wrong on many things, and i ask you to forgive me.”
The cleric raised his mace to the head of the necromancer and said:
“You should be ashamed to come here to ask me for help. I do not know who you are, but like you said even that you’re Thelron, then you aged very early.”
Approaching with a big white book in hands, Salur delivered it to the necromancer, saying:
“I heard of your wickedness, and all that unnecessary deaths caused in our city. Starting today, i want you to read this book and to reflect, to think of a new road that lies before your destination. You don’t need to continue living as someone who has never known the life, without ever knowing the true path of the pures.”
Thelron stood, his legs trembled as he sat next to one of the pillars of the temple, and he began to read the holy book in search of enlightenment.
9
The Wise’s Leadership
Sgnilliv walked in the midst of a track from the Forest of
Spirits, and found Shiiv, his father, who was sitting next to a pile of war spears, near one of the straw huts of the tribe of goblins.
“Dad, what are you doing?”, the goblin asked, looking with attention to Shiiv.
“One thing you never managed to do in your life… to prepare a poison spear efficiently.”
Sgnilliv lowered his head and remained silent.
“You can not continue acting like this. Now you think as a mage who can create things out that did not come from nature, is not it? The world is dangerous, son. Understand this, once and for all.”
“I’m sorry… i’m going to Hanneris. Can i take your wagon? I promise to bring it back.”, said the goblin so hesitant.
“Get out of here, and do not bring me more problems! You can also to take the wine, but be careful, half of what you sell will be mine!”
“Can I take too… the two dead wild boars?”, Sgnilliv said, and dragged the three barrels of wine near the wagon.
Shiiv turned his face down and continued preparing a poison on the spears.
Sgnilliv wanted to go to his tabern as soon as possible, because Ellen could be experiencing problems. When he got near the main square of Hanneris he found that many houses were destroyed. At the same time he felt that something strange had happened in the city. Then he quickly crossed the road, and when he saw his tavern totally destroyed by the flames, Sgnilliv got down in despair. Then he remembered with sadness for all the years he spent building and renovating the place.
A flurry of bad thoughts went through the goblin mage’s head, who he sought to try to understand what had happened to his tabern. Ellen was still alive after so much destruction that she had to confront? He was not sure of anything, but when he saw some men with black robes out of the Council of the Leaves, he rose again in his wagon. He crossed the dusty road with speed, and saw some druids chained near the main square. His eyes full of tears never imagined to presence that things in his life. He stopped his cart in front of the Ellen’s home, as he looked sideways suspiciously.
“They were attacked by necromancers who invaded the city, sorry Sgnilliv..”, said Ellen, while two women who were cured were lying near a large wooden bowl, by the roadside.
The goblin mage got off from his wagon, approached her and said:
“The fault was not yours. Do not worry about me. I will no longer to worry about taberns.”
“But why, you’ve spent your whole life with plans to make the best tabern of Hanneris. You can not quit now.”
“I will rebuild the place, and I need your help.”
Three days passed, and after discovering he would not get enough wood for the reconstruction, Sgnilliv said to Ellen:
“I do not want to stay in the city. We will go to the Island of Gnomes.”
The healer looked at the goblin wizard with an expression of wonder, and answered:
“But we can not let the people suffering.”
“Yes, but I want to meet someone who can guide me to build the local.”
“You want help from Rasputin?”, asked the woman.
“Exactly. Come on! We can not lose more time.”
Sgnilliv, after entering in his old ship along with Ellen, felt that travelling by sea would be more secure because the skies always hid strange and dangerous winged creatures.
Two more days passed without problems, and Sgnilliv found the Island of Gnomes. He searched among several huts scattered along a grove by the house of his master, and after half an hour he were facing the door of his hut. Rasputin did not liked to be disturbed, even by his closest friends. The goblin knew it, then choosed to wait for his master magician out of his house on their own. The night came and Sgnilliv saw someone walking hastily in the middle of some bushes.
“Mister Sgnilliv, you owe me an explanation! How dare you come on my property without notifying me?”, Rasputin smiled, while was holding a basket of fruits.
“It is the tabern that… my…”, the goblin spoke with a voice so low that Rasputin stooped to understand it better.
“How many times i have told you to wait at the edge of the island? But while you’re here with Ellen you will do a brunch at my house. Come quickly!”
Sgnilliv left his backpack on the outside, and wiped his boots on a worn red carpet that he was facing the door. Ellen went with him, looking suspiciously at a black cat that jumped on the kitchen table. Rasputin, as he filled three cups with hot milk, said: “How is the tabern? Already repaired the door?”
“No, the tabern was destroyed.”
“Stop playing, you did not come here to joke, right?”
“I’m not joking, the necromancers stormed Hanneris.”, said the goblin, a little discouraged.
“So you’re wanting me to borrow money? Is that it?”, Rasputin replied quickly, and looked with anxiety for a freshly cut slice of bread.
Two days passed without any response of Sgnilliv. The goblin mage had no courage to face his master again. Rasputin preferred to remain silent after being bomba
rded with questions that seemed to have no end. And then the Island of the Gnomes was left behind, Sgnilliv returned with his ship alone, and when he arrived at Hanneris, he realized that the Mage Guild was finally built. He looked at Ellen with an expression of astonishment, and said:
“Did you come back alone to make me a surprise?”
Crossing the road quickly, Thelron looked at his horse and noticed that the animal seemed to continue enduring the long trip to Shannen. Salur was ahead, mindful rode under a punishing sun, and after awhile he stopped near a large tree and fell from his horse.
“I found some footprints, someone was been here recently.”, Salur said, while examining some dry leaves.
“But why would we stop here to concern ourselves with useless trail?”
“Hmmm, you better to be silent. The reason is that I think we’re being followed.”, Salur looked around worried.
“You’re right!”, cried one man as he jumped off of a tree.
Then quickly fifteen men left behind some bushes and jumped out of ten trees. Thelron raised his silver scythe in defensive position, and Salur drew a powerful broad sword of steel. His blade was sending a strong blue energy, leaving some people more cautious, but they still moved quickly toward the two travelers.
“Stay close to me,”, cried Salur, “They can not cross the sacred ground!”
Approaching the cleric with evil expressions on their faces, the men tried to attack him with axes, or magic wands, but most of them could not hurt him, or even pass by the powerful energy that covered his silver armor and his large shield steel. Salur was stuck in the middle of the group, while his sword ripped the winds, hitting each necromancer who crossed his path. Thelron tried to follow closely the cleric, while strucking violent blows with his silver sickle. When he looked at the twelve fallen men who Salur had defeated with a impressive fury, Thelron shouted:
“Now it’s my turn!”
Moving a little away from the cleric, Thelron chased some men who prepared their bows. As they were preparing their weapons, they received a sickle’s cut that no left arms or necks intact. He approached a man who was kneeling for mercy, but for a brief moment he forgot to look back. He felt something touching his left leg and when he turned, he saw that a necromancer who was lying among the corpses had hitted him with a touch of rot.
Edryon (Book 1 of Edryon Trilogy) Page 7