“Excellent idea, sir.” Valon said, grinning.
“Their food is better than Kallesh food anyway.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kenner couldn’t sleep. After sleeping for three days, he wasn’t tired. He also felt restless; as if something were out there; something approaching. It felt sinister and menacing, like something sneaking up behind him in the dark. If asked, he would never be able to explain it rationally. He had thought of trying to discuss it with Terri, but she had been drinking. She turned dark and moody when she drank more than an ale or two and something about her in that state made Kenner very uncomfortable.
Instead, he wandered around the woods admiring the awesome trees above him. The city on both sides of the river was bathed in the same silvery light, but it was softer now; not quite dark, but more akin to night.
With his hand on his sword, he sensed that someone was near him and he looked up to a balcony that appeared to grow out of the tree next to a door. The room behind the door was dark, but in the soft light, he could just barely identify the outline of Saab sitting on a chair on the balcony and peering down at him.
“Trouble sleeping?” Saab asked him.
Kenner looked up at him and saw his eyes shining in the relative darkness light Shela’s at night.
“A little,” Kenner answered. “I suppose after three days of sleep, my body’s done for a while.”
Saab grunted what sounded like a laugh.
“Please come up.” Saab said to him.
Kenner climbed the steps that wrapped around the giant tree to Saab’s door.
“You don’t seem to be tired either.” Kenner observed.
A cloud of thin smoke came from Saab’s mouth and pipe.
“Morgrils don’t sleep like you humans,” he said. “We can go days without any rest at all. I personally haven’t slept in four days and I feel just fine.”
Kenner sat in a chair next to Saab’s.
“I’ve heard that the Morgrils were great warriors. Is that one reason why?”
Another cloud of smoke rose above Saab and he nodded.
“That and other reasons,” Saab answered.
He then presented his pipe to Kenner. At first, he wanted to say no, but something inside of him thought it might be rude. He took the pipe and then took a deep draw of the earthy sweet tobacco. Saab then grunted his laugh again.
“What’s so funny?” Kenner asked.
“You past the test.”
“What test?”
Saab then took a deep draw and blew the smoke upwards.
“In my country, it is a test of trust to present your pipe to someone. If they refuse, then they are not to be trusted.”
“I see. Well, I certainly hope I can be someone you can rely on. And you don’t seem so bad yourself.”
“Not quite the mindless killing machine you were taught about?” Saab asked smiling.
Kenner lowered his head a little, not wanting Saab to see his embarrassment.
“No, not quite,” Kenner answered.
Saab offered him the pipe again and Kenner took another draw.
“We weren’t always warriors.” Saab told him. “Centuries ago, we were artists and philosophers, hidden away in our swamps and jungles in the great Tree of Life. You should have seen us back in the old times. We built great structures of stone and marble; palaces for our Chiefs and temples to our gods. We even shared our knowledge and skills. The walls of your Kallesh were built by us. We had alchemists searching for the secrets of nature and doctors creating medicines that could cure almost any ailment.”
“What happened?”
Saab appeared to look far away, as if across the years.
“War happened and it brought us down like war does to all people.”
“The Great War?”
“The Dark Times,” Saab answered sadly.
“As the nation of Masallah grew, its people intruded further and further into our lands. At first, we didn’t mind the intrusions. After all, we felt that the world was big enough for all peoples. But the people of Masallah were greedy. It wasn’t enough for them to have one plot of land or two. They wanted great estates with vast boundaries. The Lords of Masallah all wanted larger estates to outdo each other. It became a competition to them to see who had more property. It wasn’t enough to have a house big enough for themselves and their families. They weren’t happy unless they could look out and see miles of land that was theirs and no one else’s. As such, they pushed deeper and deeper into the forests and to the streams and rivers of the Tree. They were squeezing us out.”
“We tried peaceful means, of course. We were a peaceful people. We made deals and signed treaties. But it still wasn’t enough. Eventually the humans began moving into our sacred places and we were powerless to stop them.”
His eyes turned sadder still.
“Then came the Dark Times and the Dark Lords.” He said almost in a growl.
“We made a deal with them and forged an alliance. They used their dark powers to create a warrior race for our people. They were larger and stronger than our predecessors and our artisans and craftsmen made terrible weapons. The Dark Lords formed us into fierce armies and we marched on the people of Masallah. We destroyed the great estates and burned the cities in the sacred places. We drove the humans back into their grass lands and mountains.”
“Sounds like you won.”
“We did…but we didn’t understand the whole of the bargain. There was a terrible price to pay.”
Saab closed his eyes as if in pain.
“The Dark Lords turned our own armies against us. They destroyed all of our old cities and reduced our great constructions to rubble. Our temples and libraries were burned and much of our knowledge forever lost. The great thinkers, artists, writers and alchemists were slaughtered and much of the forests burned so that the Dark Lords could create factories of death where more weapons were made. Those of us who weren’t massacred were turned to slaves to work for the Dark Masters with the warrior race of our own people used to drive and punish us.”
“You talk as if you were there.” Kenner interjected.
“I was there.” Saab said forcefully.
“The race that came before the warrior class can live for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of your years. I was born into these terrible times and I am one of the last of my kind.”
“But then what happened?” Kenner asked. “Surely these days ended with the end of the Dark Times.”
“They did. The weapons masters and their armies swept away the Dark Lords and drove their foul beasts into the deep places; even our formidable warriors and weapons were no match for them. But there were very few of us left and much of our knowledge forgotten. The Kings and Lords of Masallah took back the lands we had won and reclaimed their great estates. The only thing they left for us were the deep jungles that they didn’t want.”
Kenner sat silently, letting all of this sink in. He’d heard stories of Morgrils being animal-like in nature and fearful warriors. However, he’d never even heard rumors of what Saab had just told him. The two sat quietly for a few moments until a distant scream pierced the silence.
“What was that?” Kenner asked.
“An owl,” Saab answered. “They scream like that to make their prey freeze in terror before catching their meal.”
“I’ve heard owls before, but nothing like that.”
“It was a really big owl.”
Kayla found the small cabin at the edge of the city. A single, flickering light shone from the window and the door was open. “She must be expecting me,” Kayla thought.
She entered the tiny cabin and saw her huddled close to a single candle, the hood of her cloak hiding her face.
“He’s here, isn’t he?” The sad old woman asked.
“Yes he is.” Kayla answered tenderly.
The hooded figure did not move even to look at Kayla. She stayed sitting in her chair, but Kayla could feel the pain coming from her.
&n
bsp; “You should see him.” Kayla told her.
There was no answer at first, but then the hood shook from side to side.
“No.” She said frightfully.
“Why not? It’s time.”
“I can’t.”
“It’s time he heard the truth.”
“I can’t face him; not now.”
Kayla approached the old woman and touched her gently on the shoulder. She woman flinched as if burned.
“What are you afraid of?” She asked kindly.
The old woman shook her head more.
“I can’t. I just can’t.”
Kayla nodded and started to leave. Before going out the door, she turned and looked at the woman again.
“You’ll have to face him eventually.” Kayla told her.
The old woman made no reply and Kayla left her alone.
Chapter Fifteen
Kenner tried lying down, but still couldn’t sleep. Something was troubling him, but he couldn’t figure out just what. It felt as if something were coming for him. But who, he thought and from where?
Suddenly the light in his room turned a strange color. It was no longer the soft orange glow of the fire. He looked to the fireplace and saw that it had turned blue. Something inside him told him that this was very wrong. He nearly jumped out of his bed and went to his window. Looking out to the houses in the trees, he saw that all of the lights within had turned the same bluish color. At that same instant, his black armor jumped onto him and the sword was instantly in his hand. Something was very wrong indeed.
When he stepped outside his door, he saw Terri on the balcony next to his.
“The strangest thing just happened.” She said to him.
“Let me guess,” He answered, “Your fire turned blue.”
“How did you know?”
Kenner answered by pointing across the river at the houses in the trees. Terri noticed the blue lights coming from all of them.
“This can’t be good.” She said fearfully.
She then raced into her own room, quickly dressed in her own armor and ran down the stairs and to the river bank where she found Kenner. Although there was no wind, the leaves in the trees began to shake and the branches began to sway. The usually clear river turned black. She saw men and women leaving their homes bearing weapons and running. All of the doors which she’d never seen shut in all the times she had visited were now slammed closed along with the windows.
“What’s going on?” She asked Kenner.
“Someone’s coming.” He answered seriously.
The frantic activity in the woods continued for nearly an hour. As the light became brighter, archers in their dark, green cloaks raced up the stairs to positions in every tree lining the river bank on both sides. Another set of soldiers, both men and women formed along the stairs leading up to the Sanctuary. Kayla stood at the top of the steps and gave Kenner and Terri a look that seemed to ask them to join her. They both raced up the hill and when they found their way next to Kayla, they both saw that Shela was waiting for them.
Suddenly the trees fell silent and a deathly stillness covered the city. For several moments, nothing seemed to be happening, then Kenner noticed Shela’s fur begin to bristle, her eyes focus toward the river and she gave a warning growl.
At first, a single boat came silently around a bend in the river and then another. Soon, there were dozens of small boats inching their way slowly up through the now murky water. They were paddling and seemed to be struggling as the water now looked to be as thick as pitch. The branches of the trees reached down to the boats appearing to be a warning. Terri nearly gasped as she saw that those in the boats were not human. They were Wolfen.
In the center of this formation was a boat slightly larger. Standing in the center was a single figure and the very sight of him filled Kenner with a sense of dread. He was taller than any man he’d ever seen and wore a thick, white robe. The hood of the robe was pulled over his head hiding his face. The sleeves were large and billowed and with the man’s arms crossed, his hands could not be seen. As his boat came toward the river bank, one of the branches came close to him. He turned his head and appeared to whisper to it and then it withered and its leaves fell. After that, another branch from another tree swept up one of the Wolfen from another boat. The beast howled in terror and pain before one of its arms fell into the river.
The Wolfen piloting his boat struggled to bring this boat to the river bank, but when they did he stepped gracefully out and onto the ground. He approached slowly to the well, took the bucket, filled it with water and also took the ladle. But just before his foot touched the first step, Shela roared with a force that made all of the foul beasts in all the boats cower. Not even Kenner had ever heard her roar so loud. Terri drew an arrow and then tried to aim at the stranger. However, when she tried to sight in on him, she suddenly couldn’t see him.
The Lady of the Woods then spoke in a voice that sounded like it came from everywhere at once.
“Your feet will not touch my steps and you will not enter my sacred sanctuary.” She said angrily.
The head under the hood raised only slightly; just enough to reveal the cold smile on the visitor’s lips.
“You used to call me friend.” The hooded figure spoke in an icy and cruel voice.
“That was long ago, creature; and shall never be again.”
He stepped back from the stairs and bowed.
“Why have you violated the sanctity of my woods?” Kayla asked him. “And why have you brought these foul beasts with you?”
“I came to talk as we once did” He answered, “As old friends.”
“You are no longer a friend to me or this forest. But if you have something to say, then say it.”
“I had hoped we could speak in a far less public setting.”
“Anything you have to say to me, you may say here, now and then be on your way.”
“My dear Lady,” He said in mock tenderness. “If you fear being alone with me, then by all means have friends stand with you to hear me speak.”
He then turned as if looking at Kenner. Although he could not see his eyes, Kenner felt as if he could feel them peering into him.
“I’m sure the bearer of the Black Sword could help you feel safer.”
Everyone then looked at Kayla as if hoping she could make the visitor somehow go away.
“Do you remember the stone circle?” Kayla called down to him.
“I remember it well.” He answered with smile seeming even colder.
“I shall meet you there in an hour.” Kayla said finally and then turned her back on him entering the sanctuary.
Chapter Sixteen
Kayla led Kenner, Terri and Shela through the woods so quickly they could barely keep up with her. Shela would run a few steps, stop, turn and then let the others pass.
“Where are we going?” Terri asked Kenner.
“How the hell should I know? You’re the one who’s been before.”
Eventually they came to a path leading through some thick brush. It led to a stone arch supported by, what looked like ancient walls. Shining down through the trees was a single ray of sunlight illuminating the inside beyond the arch.
“What is this place?” Kenner asked Kayla.
“The Stone Circle,” she answered. “We do not know who built it or why. It is more ancient even than memory.”
The Stone Circle appeared to have been an ancient temple or house. The ruins of an old and seemingly primal wall encircled a dirt floor where nothing seemed to grow. The largest part of the wall still standing reached twenty feet high and contained a small window. There were what appeared to the remains of stone pews, like a holy place and at the far end, near the large wall was what looked like an altar also made of stone. Behind the altar and seemingly attached to it was an enormous Blackwood tree, taller than any other that Kenner and Terri had previously seen. Looking around them, examining the circle, both Kenner and Terri felt presences around them as if th
ere were many people there; although they could see no one. Looking back to the arch, Kenner noticed that Shela had not entered.
Kayla approached the altar slowly and Terri noticed an expression of sad caution on her normally sweet face.
“This is the oldest place that we know of in the Woods.” Kayla said. “It is said that the tree behind the altar is the first of the mighty Blackwoods. We call it the seedling.”
“You seem afraid of this place.” Terri said to Kayla.
“I am.” She answered simply. “But so is he.”
Once again, the trees above them sounded as if being blown by winds. They heard Shela growl and looking in her direction; they saw several Wolfen cower behind the cloaked and hooded figure. The branches of the trees came down and covered the circle almost like a ceiling and then the hooded figure entered the circle.
He walked slowly and purposefully through the rows of ancient pews. His footsteps made no sound. Kenner put his hand on the grip of the sword and then the hood turned and he saw most of the pale, aged face; but still not the eyes.
“I assure you that will not be necessary,” said the smooth, cold voice and the cruel smile.
He stepped a little further towards the altar, but Kayla stopped him.
“That’s far enough.” Kayla told him sternly.
He took a step back.
“I’m surprised at you my Lady,” he said. “You’re not known to be so ill mannered.”
“Speak your peace and then be on your way.”
“But I have only just arrived, my Lady. Surely even I deserve some hospitality.”
“I have been hospitable enough. Tell me what you want to say then leave us in peace.”
His head turned slowly towards Kenner.
“You are the one who bears the Black Sword,” he said to Kenner. “I was hoping I’d get to meet you.” He then raised his head so that Kenner could see two glowing green eyes under the hood. “I remember your father well.” He said in a sinister hiss.
The Black Sword Trilogy: The Four Nations Page 7