Sisera's Gift 2: Sacred Blood

by Robyn Wideman

  “You look ridiculous. Put it back up. You are embarrassing yourself right now.” The old woman howled with laughter. She even went so far as to point at him like he was a circus clown.

  Tarak was stunned. For years, the sight of the priest in his full armor was the stuff of nightmares for grown men. He looked around the room and found a full-length mirror in a corner of the room. He moved the piles of boxes stacked in front and proceeded to search for the joke that put the old woman in stitches. He looked back at himself and saw years of study, hard work, and dedication that his battle armor represented. Every piece had a tale to tell. The gauntlets he acquired when he defeated the grand wizards of the Blue Mountain Mages in single combat. The finest armorsmith in all the island north of Seron crafted the armor and imbued it with magic at the well of wonder. The mask was an enchanted artifact and the sign of his station as High Priest of the Sacred Brotherhood. It was said to have the likeness of Garron himself emblazoned into it and held the power to amplify his magic to new levels. He had worn the mask so much that it felt like a second skin. He would only have to take it off to eat and drink. Otherwise, he never felt a need to remove it. The cloak was of his own design and craftsmanship. It had to be just right because it contained small pouches and pockets sewn throughout to aid in the speed of the kind of spell casting Tarak studied. Measured amounts of different ingredients filled the spaces in accordance to where his hands needed to be while casting.

  Tarak looked back at the old woman who burst into laughter again at the sight of him.

  “I don’t know what you find so hilarious. This is what happened when I followed your teachings and acquired the skills and powers you said I needed to get. I have followed your instructions to a tee. What is so funny?”

  The old woman wiped the tears from her eyes and gathered her composure. She sat down in a fine leather chair and sat as straight-faced as possible for a couple of minutes.

  “I am proud of you Tarak. You have worked at becoming the champion we will need. But really? You look like a rich highwayman. Trying way too hard to be dark and foreboding. You should work harder on your skills than you do on your appearance. I must say though that you have got some nice toys there. Those arm guards are quite useful, aren’t they?”

  “Very.”

  “What I’m trying to say I guess is that you look like a shadow. Like a man who is content with hiding in the background. You look like a man who doesn’t want the world to remember his name.” The old woman stood up suddenly and a serious look crossed her face. “You need to let the world see that you are a brave champion that is willing to stand up and put your life on the line to fight the terrors that plague our skies. You have to look like someone the common man can trust not some dark, mysterious battlemage who they believe will skin them alive to perform twisted magic.”

  Tarak reached up and released the clasps that were holding his mask up on his face. The mask fell away and he slid it into a special pocket inside made just for it. Tarak watched as the old woman looked him over and nodded.

  “Give yourself a shave. Lexi will give you a haircut and I will go about sorting out your armor.”

  “What about the old magic? Is now the time?”

  The old woman laughed as Lexi the serving girl entered the room and took Tarak by the hand. She began leading him back to the door.

  “Oh yes, boy. Now is the time.”

  17

  Kai, Adina, and Oshri left the city of North Port and headed south, down the main highway. Along the way, Adina and Oshri talked about the local flora and the benefits of certain plants in medicine and magic. Kai remained quiet and enjoyed the scenery as they passed by.

  The journey was uneventful which did not bother Kai at all. They made camp on the side of the road in a spot that would offer them protection from the elements. Oshri took first watch. Around midnight he woke Kai who had been dreaming of trolls. The night had a deep chill so Kai built up the fire again and took a walk around the perimeter of their campsite.

  Morning came without incident. They quickly packed the camp and loaded the horses. They ate their morning meal as they rode. Small slabs of seasoned dried meat and a handful of salted nuts tasted delicious and reminded Kai of the meals he would have when he was just a scout in the Daxrah, or the Dragon’s Tail Brigade as it was known then.

  They continued the journey south, passing many travelers along the way. Kai inquired about the great number of travelers.

  “There is only one main roadway that connects the main cities of the island. It’s a system that gives great power to those who hold the property through which the roads travel but paying tolls is much easier than attempting to traverse the mountainsides.” Oshri’s response made sense to Kai.

  They made camp twice more before they came to a point where the road had to cross a bridge. Oshri pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted. The others waited patiently as he wandered around the site, mumbling to himself.

  “Yes, I believe this is it,” he finally said.

  “And just what is this?” Kai asked.

  “The way to where we are going,” said Oshri with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

  Kai looked around but only saw the main road on which they had been traveling which was cut through mountains. Oshri laughed and led his horse to the edge of the mountain where it dropped off down into the river and disappeared.

  Kai gave a little shout of surprise. He had not noticed that there was a path that led around the side of the mountain. Kai walked over and peeked around the edge. Sure enough, Oshri was unharmed. He laughed and motioned to Adina to follow.

  “Crazy old man,” Kai said as he led his horse onto the narrow path. They followed Oshri, both trying hard not to look down as the river rushed below them. The path went for two hundred yards then widened out and ended.

  “There’s nothing here, old man,” Kai said. He was beginning to feel frustrated but Oshri had yet to lead them astray so he kept the feeling to himself.

  “Oh, you just wait,” said Oshri. He was looking up and around the canyon walls.

  “Wait? For what? There is nothing here!” Adina said. Kai could see she was getting frustrated as well.

  “Oh, my dear. When you see it you will know,” Oshri said in a soothing voice.

  They looked around for some time but still, nothing happened. Kai threw himself to the ground and pulled some dried meat from his pack. Oshri was still looking up and down the canyon walls.

  “Well at least this is a decent spot to make camp,” Kai said, trying to calm himself down as much as try to remain positive.

  “We won’t need to make camp,” Oshri said.

  “Listen, old man. You need to tell us what is going on. We’ve been here for the better part of an hour and we are doing nothing.” Kai jumped to his feet and walked toward Oshri.

  “We are here.”

  “Here? We are nowhere. We are stuck on a ledge in a canyon with an old crazy man. That’s where we are.” Kai could not help but let his frustration get to him.

  Adina was watching patiently. “Kai. Please just try to calm down. I’m sure Oshri knows what he’s doing.”

  Kai spun to look at her. Just as he did the ground began to shake. It was not a violent tremor but enough that the horses got startled and began to neigh. Kai grabbed the reins of his horse and rubbed her while whispering soothingly into her ear.

  Oshri began hopping around again. “Ah ha,There!”

  Kai looked to where Oshri was pointing. In the middle of the ledge, the ground began to fall away. Before their eyes, appeared a pathway leading down under the edge of the mountain and into the ground.

  Kai looked at Adina who just smiled and nodded. The ground finally ceased its tremor.

  “Let’s go!” said Oshri. He grabbed the reins of his horse and led the beast onto the path and disappeared under the mountain.

  Adina followed him leaving Kai standing alone in stunned silence. He stood there for a few minutes, his mind racing with
the possibilities. Oshri appeared from the tunnel and motioned for Kai to follow them.

  “What the hell,” Kai said to himself as he pulled reins and led his horse into the ground.

  The tunnel led straight down for a few dozen yards before it began twisting and turning. Their way was lit by a soft glow from the walls, much like the walls in the Tower when Isabella activated them.

  Kai began to get nervous when he thought about how the tunnel could well be their tomb. Nothing about the situation was threatening to him now but the confined space was daunting.

  Finally, they could see a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Oshri picked up his pace and the others followed suit. As they approached the end of the tunnel Kai could see a strip of beach and the ocean lay beyond the confined interior of the tunnel. He was relieved.

  They exited the tunnel and found themselves on a wide beach in a cove surrounded by high cliffs. In the middle of the beach was a massive stone outcropping.

  “Now we can make camp,” Oshri said with a huge grin on his face. “I’ll get some wood for a fire.”

  Kai watched the old man as he ran to the ocean-side to collect dried driftwood. He could not help but feel somewhat foolish that he did not trust Oshri but the eccentric old fellow had a way of pushing Kai’s buttons.

  Kai looked at Adina with a sheepish look on his face.

  “There are many wonders in this world that you must just be patient for, Kai Woods,” Adina said, laughing as she undid the pack and removed the burden from her beast. Kai helped her removed the saddle and did the same with his horse as well as Oshri’s. They left the horses to wander the beach for in search of grazing material.

  “So, what now?” Kai asked.

  “We make camp and wait, I guess,” Adina said.

  They were just finishing constructing the tents when Oshri returned with a huge pile of dried driftwood. He had it all slung in a huge piece of fabric which amazed Kai. The bundle must weigh much more than Kai expected Oshri to be capable of carrying. Oshri dropped the load and gave Kai a knowing smile.

  “It’s enchanted,” he said with a wink as he pulled the fabric from under the pile. The large piece of cloth billowed in a non-existent breeze and magically wrapped itself up into a neat, folded bundle. Kai watched in amazement and when the scene finished he closed his mouth and stared in amazement at Oshri.

  “I got skills,” Oshri said with a wink and went about making a fire pit in the middle of their camp. He waved his hand over a spot in the ground and a hole opened up in the dirt. He snapped his fingers and stones came up out of the dirt to create a ring around the pit. He dropped a few logs into the hole and held his hand over them, palm down. The logs ignited and became a roaring fire.

  In the two years, Kai had known Oshri he had never seen the old man perform magic like he just did. Kai had almost forgot that Oshri was a wizard. He wondered what other tricks the old fellow had up his sleeve.

  They huddled around the fire and ate a light supper of dried meat, nuts, and hard cheese. Oshri was busy reading from an old tome he had brought along. Every so often he would pop his head up and look around. He would nod and bury his face back into the book.

  “So, what now?” asked Kai eventually.

  “We sleep. Everything should make itself clear in the morning,” Oshri said, without taking his eyes off the page he was reading.

  “I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” Kai said as he wrapped himself in his cloak after belting a quiver of arrows to his belt. “I’ll take first watch. I’ll wake Adina after midnight.”

  Adina nodded and went to her tent. Kai could hear her rustling around before she finally settled to sleep. Kai made a loop around the camp, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. There was just enough light from the two slivers of moonlight for Kai to be comfortable. He checked the perimeter twice then found himself a perch from which to watch the camp.

  He sat for a while watching Oshri reading the book. His thoughts drifted to Rosalie and her recent change in behavior. He was worried that her discomfort of Raven was just a temporary thing. He knew that his heart belonged to Ros and no one else but he was also aware of the connection they had once shared. It was a problem that was not going to go away so he had to figure out a way to deal with it. He had tried to talk to Jaime but he was no help.

  “You must try to initiate a relationship between them so you may lay between them,” Jaime had said, in amongst bouts of roaring laughter.

  Kai let his mind go. There was nothing he could do right now anyway. He leaped to his feet to make another loop around the camp. As he got to his feet he saw Oshri put the book away in his pack and make his way into his small tent. When Oshri disappeared into the small leather tent Kai’s eyes drifted to the fire which was still roaring away to provide heat to the tents that were pitched nearby.

  The light from the flames danced along the rock faces surrounding the camp. Kai was fascinated by the sight when his eyes passed over the large stone outcropping. Kai blinked. Was he seeing what he thought he was seeing?

  He moved around to get a view from a different angle. It was still there. His heart felt like it would jump out of his chest and his mind began to race.

  “Oshri!” Kai did not mean to call out but excitement got the better of him. “Adina! Wake up”

  Oshri leaped straight up, pulling the tent from its pegs. Kai could not help but laugh as the old man scrambled to his feet while fighting with ruined leather covering.

  “What in the seven hells is going on?” Oshri yelled as finally threw down the beaten tent.

  Adina crawled out from her tent and observed the scene with an amused smile on her face.

  “What’s happening?” she asked.

  “Look at this!” Kai said as he threw his hand up toward the stone outcropping.

  “A big rock?” said Adina.

  “Yep, it’s a big rock. What about the big rock?” Oshri snapped.

  “Just look at it,” said Kai, controlling the excitement in his voice so Oshri would calm down.

  Oshri turned back to the rock and threw his hands up. He looked over at Adina who just shrugged.

  “Come over here,” said Kai, as he walked up the slope of the hill toward where he was sat to watch the camp. When he reached the spot, he turned and waited for the other two to join him.

  When they got there, he pointed his arm toward the stone and smiled.

  Adina and Oshri turned and looked.

  Oshri’s face immediately went slack then corners of his mouth shot up and he began to hop around as he was his custom when he was excited.

  When she saw it Adina through her hands in front of her mouth to try and contain any outburst. She finally peeled her hands away and snapped her head around to face Kai.

  “It’s a dragon!”

  18

  Tarak looked up at twin crescents that hung in the night sky. There were a few small clouds hangings in the around but not enough to obstruct the dim lighting. The air was crisp with the smell of frost on the breeze.

  He crouched on a cliff high above a small valley on the western coast of north Droll. He was watching the cave as he had been instructed by Zena. She had given him training as well as instructions on his mission and how to find this hidden valley. She told him that this was the valley that held the secrets of the old magic but that he would be tested if he wanted access.

  It had taken him three days to make his way to the valley. The road only took him so far and he spent a great deal of time making his way through the rough countryside. The area was heavily forested with deep valleys and raging rivers criss-crossing their way toward the seaside. On his way, he passed the ruins of town that had once existed here but was now being reclaimed by the forest.

  During the beginning of the last dragon war, the town of Undergar was a major battleground and the first human settlement to fall to dragon control. Even the neighboring hill tribes relocated because they believed the ghosts of the villagers walked through the
forest at night. Zena had told Tarak that this was just a ruse. After the dragons were banished, the witches used simple tricks to scare away anyone who would think to return to or settle in the area.

  The trek was easy as Zena had revealed to him a secret path through the forest that was used by the witches. It was more of an animal run but it was all he needed. Tarak had spent many years with the Brotherhood trackers so traveling off-road was not foreign to him. He kept pace even through the nights. When he was hunting, he found sleep to be a waste of time and he had spent many years training his body to function regardless of rest.

  Tarak had arrived on the edge of the valley around midnight and had been watching for signs of movement for hours. Zena had told him that there were terrifying beasts that roamed the valley and that they usually hunted at night so it was best to observe he was sure it was safe to proceed.

  Hours passed and there was no sign of life. Tarak slung his war-axe on his back and cast a charm of silence. He headed down toward the cave. He pushed through the thick brush without any worry that he was making any noise announcing his arrival.

  The entrance of the cave was well camouflaged even though the path to the cave was also well hidden. Tarak was a trained scout and tracker which made the task that much easier. The entrance was a small crack in the side of the mountain hidden by thick, low hanging branches from the ancient trees that grew in the forest. Tarak had to bend low to enter the cave but as soon as he passed the threshold the chamber opened considerably and he could stand with a good deal of headroom.

  The cave was dark but Tarak could see a soft glow coming from a tunnel at the end of the chamber. He walked down the tunnel, towards the glow that never seemed to get any closer, until he came to a fork. The tunnel split into three, each way looking the same as the next.