“He went to look around,” Eilowyn replied, softly, “to see if there’s another way out of here.”
“I found another stairway up, but it’s bolted from the other side,” Barathol announced, in as close to a whisper as he could manage. “I thought I could hear voices on the other side too.”
“We need to hole up here for the time being,” Eilowyn stated. “Help me get him somewhere comfortable.” The men went to work discretely moving crates and barrels around to open up a space in the back corner of the storeroom, while Eilowyn stood watch over Aleron. They returned to carry their friend to the area they cleared and laid him down on a pad built from empty grain sacks, with a sack of rice to cushion his head. Eilowyn followed behind with the sword, now dim in the presence of its owner, where it once shone with bright blue radiance. She thought she could see a faint glow, deep in the sapphires studding the pommel, but that was most likely the light from the vents.
Later, they found some dried meat and fruit, as well as many jugs of wine and Eilowyn stated, “This will do for now, but we need to find some water soon.”
“Yeah, this stuff will dry us out like these figs, if we don’t watch it,” Barathol agreed. “The meat’s salted too, so we should stick to the fruit and just enough wine to get it down.”
“Sounds like we’re under an inn or tavern,” Geldun observed. The sounds of laughter and music filtered down through the floorboards.
“I can pick out a few phrases,” Eilowyn declared. “It seems like they are all talking about the disaster at the palace, but they’re all laughing about it. Must not be a soldier’s tavern.”
“Could go either way,” Geldun declared. “Kolixtlani soldiers are mostly all conscripts anyway. Only the highborn officers have any authority.”
“Uh oh, I think I heard something about the King. I think someone said he’s dead.” The raucous noise from above died down to a murmur. She noticed Aleron stirring and mumbling something in his sleep. “I think he’s coming to.” She knelt down beside him and brushed the hair from his face. “Aleron, wake up. It’s Ellie. We’re all safe, for now. Please wake up.” Aleron mumbled something unintelligible and rolled to one side, settling himself more comfortably.
They waited several more hours. The level of noise increased after the subdued level that followed the news of the Kings demise. Aleron bolted upright. “Wha…,” escaped his lips before Eilowyn had the chance to silence him.
“Shhh…You need to be quiet, my love. We are hiding.”
“Where…Oh my head! What happened?”
“We’re holed up under a tavern of some sort,” Barathol replied, “in Kolixtla.”
“You did something that damn near knocked the palace down,” Geldun added, “and then you passed out and the sword went dim.”
At that announcement, Aleron’s eyes went wide. “The sword, where is it?”
“Right here, by your right hand.”
Aleron grabbed the hilt and said, “I don’t feel anything, anything at all.” He felt out further, beyond Andhanimwhid and exclaimed, “Nothing!”
“Quiet, or you’ll get us all killed,” Geldun whispered emphatically. “What are you babbling about?”
“I can’t feel any magic at all, none at all.”
“That’s not good,” Barathol commented, “not good at all.” Geldun and Eilowyn looked at him and then turned their gaze to Aleron, as did Barathol. Aleron looked at each in turn, his eyes finally settling on Eilowyn, put his head in his hands and began to weep.
So ends The Halfblood King, the first volume of
The Chronicles of Aertu.
Appendix A
Sudean Agricultural Calendar
Utilized for Daily Accounting in the Kingdom of Sudea
Appendix B
Comparative Timelines of Dwarves, Elves and Men of Sudea
Appendix C
Historical Synopsis of Elves, Dwarves and Men of Sudea
Elvish History
At the beginning of time, the Allfather, creator of all things, begat the universe from incoherent matter. He created the multitudes of stars in the night sky. He beheld the beauty in what he had created from nothingness, but it gave him no comfort, for it still seemed cold and empty. The Creator fashioned beings like unto himself, in the forms of male and female, for he remembered his Sisters as well as his Brothers and wished to create a family like unto the one from whence he came. These first children numbered fourteen in all and equally matched, consisting of seven male and seven female. This celestial family coexisted happily for uncounted ages, with only the stars as companions. They travelled widely, marveling at their father’s creation. The male and female of his children coupled and over the course of the ages begat untold thousands of offspring, like unto themselves, but of lesser stature. This was the natural state for these beings and they did just as their Father had, before coming of age in his Mother’s universe. These first children were not destined to stay forever in their Father’s universe, but would someday come of age and create their own to their own liking. Their offspring, begat of their Father’s universe, however, would remain forever tied onto it.
As is the way of stars, some grew old and died. From their death were born new stars. It was at this age that the Allfather knew the time had arrived for the next stage of his creation. About one likely star, He congealed the formless gasses into balls of matter, glowing hot like steel from the crucible, spinning around the star. He did the same about many other stars and left them to cool for eons untold. One day, He returned, with his children and grandchildren in tow and said, “See all of you the many worlds I have made here unto this star. Only one of them will be suitable for our purposes next.” He then led them to the third small rocky world from the star and said unto his children and grandchildren, “Behold that which is to be the fruit of my Creation.”
His children did not yet understand and one said unto his Father, “Why this one Father, for there are much larger and more beautiful worlds further out than this one. It is plain, dark and uninteresting with its steaming pools and black rocks.”
“Ah my child, you do not yet understand our purpose. Though still rough yet, it will be as a jewel when we are finished. Let us go down and shape this rough new world to our liking.”
The Allfather proceeded to separate the land from the sea. He brewed monumental storms over the seas and used the rain and winds to carve the highest mountains, wearing them flat and then raising new mountains in their place. Thus was barren rock turned to soil over the course of untold ages. When at last it was ready, He said, “Come my children, let us bring life unto this fertile world we have before us.”
“What is life, oh Father?” they asked in unison.
“I will show you now,” He told them, as he took up water from the sea and bent his will to it. The first life sprang forth in His cupped palms. His children saw and were amazed, but he admonished them, “My children, do not attempt to bring forth beings like unto yourselves into this world, for that is my prerogative. Make all forms of plant and beast, but save for me the beings who will rule over them. My grandchildren, do not attempt to bring forth life as your parents do, for if you succeed, your creations will be flawed. Instead, it is your destiny to inhabit this world and others that we build, so that you may watch over them as caretakers.”
With that instruction, the children of the Creator made all the life in the seas, then they made all the life on land. What had been barren rock and steaming pools, became green hills and valleys, white capped mountains and crystal blue waters. The world had indeed become like unto a jewel.
At the point where the world had been populated with all manner of life, one of the children had become so enamored of their handiwork that he begged of the Creator, “Father, please, may I have this world as my own? I love it so and wish to watch over it and care for it for all the ages that are yet to be.”
The Creator knew that this could not be so and saw through his son’s plea to the covetousness that
lay beneath the request. “Do not ask this of me, as it cannot be so. Your purpose is to create a universe of your own when you are grown. In due time, you will be able to create worlds and populate them, just
as I have done. Do not thwart your own destiny, just to possess a portion of mine.”
The errant child, much chagrined by his Father’s reprimand, grumbled loudly to his brethren and their children over the unfairness of the Creator’s decision. His brethren rebuked him as well for his disobedience to their Father, however, he swayed many of the grandchildren with his words and they became his followers. Secretly, he preached to his following of the unfairness of the Creator’s prohibition on them to create living things. He taught to them the way to accomplished it and together they created all manner of despicable creatures, for it was true, as the Creator had said, that the creations of the grandchildren would be imperfect and flawed.
Soon enough, the others discovered that the beautiful world they had created was beset with foul creatures that crawled in dark places. The beasts were beset upon by biting things, parasites and disease. The plants died from fungus, rot and ravenous creatures. The Creator was not pleased with what he beheld and asked of his children, “Who among you is responsible for these foul creatures? They are a disgrace and a disfigurement upon our beautiful world.” None spoke up to own to the wrongdoing. The Creator looked into the hearts of his children and when he came to the one who had disobeyed him said, “Do you think you can hide the truth from me, my disobedient son?”
“It was not I who disobeyed you Father. I have always been your faithful servant,” the son lied.
“Do you think I cannot look into your heart and see the truth? You add lies as well to your treason. I have seen now what you have done, and that you have drawn my children’s children into your disobedience. Get thee gone from my sight, never to return and those of your following who refuse to repent.” The disobedient son left the presence of his Father and his brethren, taking with him the grandchildren who would follow. Though many grandchildren repented, begged for forgiveness and returned to the fold, most did not and followed the disobedient son.
The other children then proclaimed, “Father, we must rid this world of all the vile things our brother has brought into being.”
“That cannot be so,” the Creator replied. “That which has been brought into being must not be destroyed out of hand and must be allowed to follow its natural course. We will give our creatures a means to defend against the
creatures of your brother, who will not be named. Now our beautiful world will be marked by strife forever more.”
Soon after, the Allfather discovered that the one who will not be named had done that which was unthinkable. He had created creatures after his own likeness, as was to be the sole prerogative of his Father. Like the creatures of his followers, these were fraught with imperfection and he made many attempts, failing each time. Now, gruesome creatures of dim intelligence and evil disposition stalked the dark places of the world, wreaking havoc among the beauty of creation.
At the time that the Creator had divided the land from the sea, he had set aside a large island in the southwest sea. The disobedient son and his followers had never the opportunity to lay hands on this one piece of land, so it was devoid of his foul creatures. All was beautiful on the sparkling western isle and it was here that the Creator brought forth the first of the worlds creatures created in his own likeness, the first elves. Innocent and naked were these first people, our forefathers and we wandered the island in that state for millennia. The mild climate of our homeland provided for us in abundance and we wanted for nothing. We met many of the Creator’s grandchildren during that time and they taught us many things about the nature of our fair island, but we knew not then the significance of these nature spirits.
One day, the first children of our Father appeared to us and they frightened us in their magnificence. They told us, “Do not fear little brothers and sisters, for we mean you no harm and we have much to teach you,” and teach us they did. They taught us to make tools and ornaments of metal, to hew stone and build with it and to domesticate the beasts and crops for which we had formerly hunted and foraged. We raised the first elvish cities and writing and arithmetic came into being. The first line of elvish Kings was established and the cities became centers of learning. Our elder brethren taught us to forge swords, axes, lances, armor and steel tipped arrows and taught us the elements of armed combat. We asked them why we would ever want to know how to fight, as we had never seen the need to fight among ourselves. They told us then of the history of creation as it is written in this very text. It was then that we learned why their number was uneven, with only six male and seven female. They told us that our destiny would take us from our lovely island, to the brutal world to the east. There we would need to fight.
There came a day, one-thousand two-hundred and fifty-five years from the day we began accounting for time that our elder brethren took their leave of us. They told us of our brother races who came later, known as men, wandering the lands to the east across the sea and in need of their instruction. They warned us in parting to beware of the Adversary and his minions. Upon the conclusion of their instruction of men, our elder brethren were destined to leave this world and move on to others and finally to leave this universe to found their own. The Adversary, however, would never leave and would continue to gain strength as he matured, someday perhaps rivaling that of the Allfather. Thus, we were warned as our elder brethren left us for the world of men. There, they became known as Gods, as men lacked the sophistication to see them for what they truly are.
Many centuries passed. Our small boats gradually became larger and we ventured further out to sea. Soon we developed seaworthy vessels able to cross the breadth of the ocean. Our lovely island was becoming crowded and we decided to explore the lands to the east. At first, the sheer expanse of the western coastline of the continent daunted us. We landed our ships on the southwestern coast and encountered our first men. They were much different from us, being very dark and speaking a rude sounding language. They were friendly, however and it was soon apparent that they too had received some instruction from our elder brethren. They knew of steel and they built small cities. They told us of larger, richer cities of their people far to the northeast, along the shores of a huge inland sea. We built our first colonies on this shore, as we were accepted by these people.
As we explored northward up the coast, we discovered that the men came in different races, unlike ourselves. The men further up the coast, past the towering mountains, which divided south from north, were not so dark and their hair was straight and black. Most did not greet us in a friendly manner. The jungle dwellers attacked us with stone tipped weapons, for they knew not of steel. As we moved north of the tropics, we passed another range of low mountains. The people inhabiting the land north of these mountains were a completely different race of men as those of the jungles to the south. These men were light-skinned, like us, but of a much more brutish appearance than any of the Men we had met previously. These men were squatly built and immensely strong. Their faces possessed thick, beetled brows and receding chins. They had steel, however and they greeted us in friendship. They spoke to us of their Gods and we recognized descriptions of our elder brethren, just as we had to the south. They became known in later days as westmen, to distinguish them from the other races of men, with whom they never mingled. They told us also, of another race of men to the east, which looked more like
those we had encountered in the jungles, though of lighter complexion and more advanced in culture.
Yet another Race, unknown to us previously, came to our attention. The men of the south encountered them as they explored the central mountains. They later migrated to the northeastern and southeastern coastal ranges. The men refer to them as dwarves and do not admit to them being men, nor do dwarves claim any kinship to men or westmen. They seem to live anywhere there are high mountains. In some ways they appear re
lated to the westmen, however, they lack the receding chin, appearing more like a mix of westmen and men. They are shorter than either of the other two races, seldom exceeding five feet and stockier even than westmen. Dwarves are skilled miners and metal smiths, conducting huge excavations and living entirely underground. They are fierce defenders of their territory, and extremely suspicious of outsiders. Few foreigners have witnessed the splendor of their underground cities.
Our people established colonies in the far southern lands of the continent and the men there accepted us as their overlords, thusly they became separated from their brethren to the north of the Great Southeastern Desert, adopting aspects of our language and culture. The region became known as Sudea thereafter. This relationship ensued for over two-thousand years. Over that time, elves and men mingled their blood, even though elves could live many tens of centuries and men seldom lived as long as one. Elvish maids would take husbands among men, only to become widowed in their prime, often marrying several times in their lifetime. The same was true of the Elvish masters who chose the same route. Heartbreak was commonplace among the Elvish rulers of Sudea. Elvenholm sent pureblooded governors to preside over the colonies, often to the chagrin of the half-elf sons of former governors. Over time, the population of Sudea had become so mingled that the men lost, for the most part, their dark complexions and looked much like their elvish masters. Excepting half-elves, however, men did not inherit the longevity of their elvish forebears.
The Halfblood King: Book 1 of the Chronicles of Aertu Page 25