Sisera's Gift 2: Sacred Blood

by Robyn Wideman

  Kai noticed the old man’s face flush red. He shot another look at Adina who smiled and shook her head again.

  “Oshri Cheni! It has been almost thirty years since you slinked away from me.” The woman’s tone was scolding but the smile never left her face.

  “I did not slink away. There was some business that needed my attention,” Oshri said.

  “I’m sure there was,” Frida said. She smiled and looked around at the old wizard’s companions. “Hello. My name is Frida. Pleased to make your acquaintance in person.”

  “Likewise,” Adina said. “I hope we are not intruding on you here.”

  “No no no.” Frida laughed. “If you travel with Oshri then you are most welcome here.”

  “Oh really,” Kai said with a sly smile. “Why is that?”

  “He hasn’t told you?” Frida’s face dropped but she managed to retain her smile.

  Kai looked at Oshri from some explanation but the old man was inspecting something on the ground.

  “I suppose he must have his reasons.” Frida’s wide smile returned. “Come let's get you into the house.”

  They followed Frida down the path that led them through gardens of wild flowers and plants. There was a river that went right down the middle of the cavern that provided water and nutrients for the ample vegetation in the cavern. Kai and Adina looked around in amazement as they walked down the meticulously maintained gravel path. Frida led the way with Oshri following up from behind.

  The house was a massive stone and wood structure, obviously old. From the outside, Kai figured there was probably five floors as it was about as tall as the Tower of Kings. It was a lot wider and much longer. Massive stone pillars stood at the entrance surrounding a huge solid wood door.

  How big was the tree that came from? Kai wondered.

  “Your horses can go in the stable that is behind the house,” Frida said, turning to look at Kai. “Be a dear and see to them. There is a door there that leads into the house. Go through the door and follow the hallway all the way to the end. We will meet you there.”

  “I should help him,” Oshri said, a look of hopefulness on his face.

  “Oh no. You are coming with us. You are not leaving my sight again, Oshri Cheni.” Frida voice was stern and forceful. Oshri’s nose crinkled with displeasure but he complied.

  Kai took the reins of all three horses and made his way around the building in search of the stables. As he walked down the path he looked up at the amazing house. Although there were many windows within his sightline he found that he could not see through any of them.

  The stables were a huge space with plenty of hay, feed, and water. Kai unburdened the beasts, stacking their packs for easy retrieval later on. He quickly brushed them before throwing some fresh hay and feed into a trough then made his way into the house.

  As he opened the door the interior was nothing like he was expecting. The hallway long with high ceilings. The walls were the color of rust with wood accents. They were covered with the stuffed heads of many different beasts, many of which Kai did not recognize. He walked slowly down the hall looking each animal in the face. He had never seen anything like this before in his life.

  “Quickly now.” The voice of Frida echoed through the corridor.

  The voice took Kai by surprise and he quickened his pace, though his head was still moving back and forth to see all the stuffed heads.

  There was no other door in the hallway that Kai could see save for the one at the end of the hall. The door was tall and narrow. It was painted black with stripes of gold running from the top to the bottom. In the middle of the door was a crest that Kai did not recognize. It looked to be three snakes slithering in a circle, each with the tail of the one ahead in its mouth.

  As Kai approached the door they began to swing open. Through the doorway, Kai saw a huge room elegantly decorated but distinct from the style he had seen in the hallway. This room had massive crystal chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceilings. It looked like a replication of a palace ballroom. In the middle of the room stood Adina and Frida, deep in conversation. Oshri was nowhere to be seen.

  “You have quite the place here,” Kai said as he approached the two women. Frida glanced his way and held up her hand as a sign for him to wait and continued with her hushed words to Adina who looked over at him and nodded that he should comply. Kai stopped outside of earshot and looked around the amazing room.

  Finally, the two women nodded to each other and turned toward Kai.

  “Where is Oshri?” Kai asked.

  “I turned him into a frog,” Frida said with a laugh. Adina began to laugh as well. “He will join us at dinner if he behaves.”

  Kai looked again to Adina who smiled and nodded. Kai shrugged.

  “So, this is quite the place,” Kai said, changing the subject.

  “It is the most magical place in all the world,” Frida said. “Let’s take tea in the library and I will tell you all about it.”

  She led them up a tall split landing staircase and down a hallway. At the end of the hall, she opened the door into a massive circular room five stories high. There was a walkway that spiraled up and every wall was covered with bookshelves overflowing with manuscripts of all shapes, sizes, and styles. In the middle of the room was a seating section with four large couches arranged in a square. Lit braziers stood at each corner of the square. A low, solid wood table stood in the middle of the square. It held a pot of wine and four plain metal cups. Frida motioned to the pair that they should make themselves comfortable and went about pouring the wine. She handed each a cup and sat down on the couch directly opposite to the one chosen by Kai and Adina.

  “So, you have yourselves a dragonblood?” she said after taking a long sip from her cup.

  “Well in a manner of speaking, yes,” said Kai. The way she made the statement made him feel slightly uncomfortable. “Before we continue with this line of questioning, though, I would like to know more about you and this place. Oshri was actually quite vague regarding where and what this place is.”

  “Well, he ought to be. He made a vow many years ago, to never reveal the secrets of this place. This is one of the few hidden places in this world that is a center of great power. The energy of this place is strong with the elements of what you call magic. It is a sacred place that is universally respected by those who seek to use its power.”

  “Are you alone here? I have not seen anyone else,” said Kai.

  “Oh no. There are well over a hundred sisters that call this place home. It has been decided that you will have no need of contact with them so it is.”

  “They are here right now?” Kai exclaimed.

  “Oh yes. There are some here in this room as we speak. You cannot see or hear them because we are in a different phase than they are. It is powerful magic that is hard to comprehend for those that are not initiated in its use. You will just have to trust me on this one.”

  Kai looked around the room nervously. There was extreme magic in this world that he just had no idea existed.

  “Have you ever been here before?” Kai turned to look at Adina.

  She shook her head. “No I haven’t but I have heard stories and rumors over the years. I have met Frida before though. She came to the Dark Forest many years ago.”

  “Why did you not say anything?” Kai asked.

  “I wasn’t sure until we talked. I was a small child at the time. She looked exactly as she does now so I had my doubts that this was the same woman,” said Adina.

  “Yes. Time seems to slow down in this place. As I said. It is a very magical place,” Frida chuckled.

  “That’s amazing!” Kai said. He was having trouble wrapping his mind around the whole situation. “So, you knew Oshri years ago, as well?”

  Frida burst out laughing. “Yes, I know Oshri very well,” Frida said. “He is my husband.”

  “Is your husband?” Kai was flabbergasted.

  “Yes. Is my husband. I won’t get into too many details
right now but there was an incident and he went to live in the Dark Forest. I went to find him but he did not want to be found, especially by me. This is the first time I have seen him in thirty years.”

  Kai did not know what to say. He looked to Adina then back to Frida.

  “That is definitely a story for another day. Let us talk about the matters at hand. You live in the presence of at dragonblood, do you not?”

  “Yes, we do. She is a young girl. Oshri is training her but we are running into problems that we don’t know how to deal with. That’s why Oshri brought us here. To find answers.”

  “This must be very important if he brought you here.” Frida laughed again.

  “We are having some troubles,” Kai said. He went on to tell the story of Isabella and their situation. Frida listened intently, occasionally asking questions to clarify things in her mind. After Kai was finished he sat back and took a deep swig from his untouched cup. Adina had been listening silently, sipping at her own cup, refilling it whenever needed, which was often. Frida sat for a few long moments, considering all that she had heard.

  “Excuse me a moment,” she said and immediately disappeared. Kai and Adina both jumped but the shock faded quickly as they had come to expect strange happenings in this place. They sat quietly and waited.

  A half an hour later Frida re-appeared. She was exactly as she had been before.

  “We have discussed the information you have presented and we can help,” Frida said. “I have now been permitted to share some information with you.

  “Ever since the first known re-emergence two years ago, the Sisters have been on a search for more dragonbloods as well as the dragons themselves. We have lost more Sisters than we had hoped we would but the amount of success we have had has made the sacrifice acceptable. We have made contact with the dragons. A few initial meetings went south but with perseverance, we finally made contact with the leader of the bunch. She goes by the name Apophis. She is a great White-Gold and she is immensely influential amongst the dragon hordes. We believe she could help you.

  “Her philosophy is in line with our beliefs which may be important in the years to come. There is a dark time ahead. She has told us about a dragon, by the name of Nelarth, who she believes will attempt to rise against her commands and rekindle the war between dragons and men. She is attempting to do everything in her power to put an end to it before it even begins.”

  “Wait. You have been in contact with other dragons? How is it that you have not heard of Sisera or Isabella?” Kai asked.

  “Seron has always been a difficult place for our kind to visit. There is odd magic that inhabits that island. It dampens even the most powerful wizards. That is why Oshri escaped there because he knew it would be very difficult for me to track him there.”

  “I have seen Isabella perform some powerful magic so I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” said Kai, laughing.

  “What if her power is being dampened?” Frida said in response. As Kai thought about the implications the smile fell from his face. It was now Frida’s turn to laugh. “I got your attention now, don’t I?”

  “So, you are saying that if she left the island that her powers may increase?”

  “I would say there is a very good chance of that,” said Frida.

  “That is truly a scary thought,” Kai said as he slouched back into the plush leather couch. He looked over at Adina. “Are you more powerful when you leave the island?”

  Adina shrugged. “Most of my knowledge is based around the alchemical arts and healing. I cannot perform the kind of magic you are talking about. Maybe I am not affected by whatever it is that is dampening the magic.”

  Kai looked back at Frida, who was sitting patiently for them to absorb the information she had just given them.

  “Okay so where do we find this Apophis?” he asked.

  “That will be very difficult as she travels around a lot. Her home is on Droll but she is very rarely there. As I said, she is trying to prevent another war so she is quite busy.

  “We believe that it would be in Isabella’s, and Sisera’s, best interest to find her on their own. It would be much easier for them without the hindrance of traveling companions.”

  “Oh, her mother is not going to like that,” said Kai, shaking his head.

  “It would be very beneficial for her to gain experience as well as test her powers,” Frida said.

  “Where would she even start to look?” Kai asked.

  “We will provide you with the information that we have gathered to aid in her quest. If what you have told me about this girl is true, then she could be the champion that we have been desperately searching for. We must find as many of the dragonbloods and bring them to our side before they are discovered by the Sacred Blood or the Brides.”

  “The Brides?”

  “The Brides of Garron are a sect of witches that broke off from our coven at the beginning of the war. They are a devout sect of witches that oppose the dragons and all that deal with them. They wish to see the beasts expelled from this world instead of living along side of them.”

  “Are they dangerous?”

  “Very. They have hidden away a great power that was used in the war to defeat many hordes of dragons, leaving them with the diminished numbers that there is today. We don’t know the exact number but from what Apophis tells us they are virtually extinct. We cannot allow that to happen. What most don’t realize is that the dragons are preventing even greater powers from coming to our world. It is the knowledge of this that was the real reason the war took place. Through the use of dark magic, Garron made contact with these beings. They made him their champion and gave him great power to fight the dragons who are the protectors of this world. As long as there is even a single dragon alive they are prevented from crossing over.

  “Until the day Garron disappeared from this world he preached that we needed to be rid of the dragons so that humans could be free. He gained a great number of followers especially in regions that were held in the grip of evil dragons who enslaved humans for their own selfish purposes. A religion formed after he left to continue his teachings but of course, they were not told of the real reason he wanted to exterminate the dragons.”

  “I have so many questions,” said Kai with a look of exasperation on his face.

  “I do as well,” Adina said, leaning forward.

  Frida smiled. “We will move to the dining room and continue this discussion while we enjoy a meal. I’m sure you are tired of eating dried meat and hard cheese. Perhaps I will even let Oshri join us.”

  “Agreed,” said Kai, rubbing his face with his hands and pushing himself off the couch. “One thing first. You said you were desperate to find a champion. Why so desperate?”

  The smile faded from Frida’s face to be replaced with a grim look. “Because the Brides already have a champion.”

  21

  Tarak Kader slowly opened his eyes. The only thing he could see were dark clouds hanging low in the sky. He lifted his head and looked around him. He appeared to be on a flat, dusty mountain plateau. The only thing on the landscape was a single dead tree. He pushed himself into a sitting position.

  Suddenly the plateau was surrounded with huge walls of flame.

  “Strange,” Tarak said out loud. “I feel no heat.”

  He looked for a way off the plateau but there was none. He walked to the edge and could see the flames rushing past his face toward the dark sky.

  He walked toward the tree that was in the center of the plateau. As he approached, the tree changed shape and became a giant black dragon. He looked up at the massive beast without fear. The dragon reared back on its hind legs then thrust its head forward, expelling a burst of flames toward him.

  Tarak leaped to one side, rolling when he hit the ground, and ran in the opposite direction to put some space between them. He looked back just in time to avoid the next attack that came. He crisscrossed the plateau dodging the flaming balls death. He reached for the twin blades that
usually hung low on his back but they were absent. Tarak cursed. He searched the pockets of his cloak as he ran but he found every single one empty.

  He looked back at the massive dragon that was chasing him. The beast was throwing fireballs at him with an increasing rate but he avoided all of them.

  “Nothing else I can do, I guess,” Tarak said to himself. He quickly changed direction and ran directly at the dragon.

  The dragon stopped chasing him and reared back, spreading his wings out and throwing a massive column of flame toward Tarak. He dodged the flame and as he got near the dragon, he leaped toward the beast. He let out a mighty yell and punched the beast square in the jaw. As the beast fell, Tarak grabbed ahold of the dragon’s right horn. He continued to punch the dragon in the face until the beast hit the ground.

  “Stop. Please stop.”

  Tarak looked around to see the source the of pleading but could see no one. He continued to punch the dragon in the face until he could no longer feel his fist.

  “Please, Tarak. Stop.”

  He knew that voice. It was his brother’s voice.

  “Tarak. Please.”

  Tarak stopped hitting the dragon.

  “Tarak.”

  He got up and looked around to find the source but could find nothing. Even the dragon was gone. He was alone on the empty plateau.

  “Tarak.”

  The voice seemed to come from every direction. He spun around but could see nothing except the walls of flame, which seemed to be closing in on him. The more he turned, the closer they were getting.

  “Tarak. Wake up.”

  Tarak tried to respond but no words left his mouth.

  The walls of flame got continually closer. Tarak closed his eyes as they were about to consume him and waited for death.

  It did not come.

  He opened his eyes and found himself in a bright hostelry room. He was filled with confusion.

  “What is happening?” he said out loud to himself.

  “Well I saved you and you repaid me by hitting me in the face repeatedly.” Tarak spun around to find his brother, Santaal, sitting on a bed, holding his bruised face. “You seriously owe me for this.”