The Rokkaia Chronicles

by Rhys Thomas

  She smiled, “I’ll give you an escort to the trial of separation in the Farlands. But, neither your bonded nor the Valakhari can join you. It’ll be you and two others. Ilya,” she gestured to the Mælkeri leaning against the wall. I saw the dark elf’s blackish-purple lips twist briefly then flatten. “And Emilia Sorenson a young and incredibly talented witch. She’ll also be taking her trail.”

  “Thank you. I imagine your approval on this, comes with a favour I must return,” I hedged to the elderly woman. She smirked at me, “yes. But we’ll discuss that later on, if you’re successful in your trial. But I’ll assure you. It’s something you’ll be able accomplish easily,” she explained.

  I nodded, “you’ve got yourself a deal Penny, agreed?”

  “Agreed,” the elder mother nodded her head.

  “Now that that’s over, may I request some assistance in the healing of my companions.”

  “Certainly,” Penelope said and nodded emphatically. She looked to Ilya, “Please be a dear Ilya and find Huston for me.”

  “Of course, Penelope,” Ilya purred and then left the room. “She’ll fetch the healer and we’ll see the extend of the damage done to your companions wing.”

  Half an hour later I watched as Ariana, Sishshik and Marisa were being carted off to a medical ward of some sorts. “They’ll be taken care of, I know it’s hard to ask but please do trust me on this,” Penelope said from my side as I watched them being carried away on floating mattresses of invisible air.

  I nodded, “there would be consequences otherwise,” I stated still watching them go.

  “I know, it’s why I will not mess with you and yours. Now Emilia should be arriving soon, so we’ll start discussing what pertains to the trial of separation. Then Ilya will show you to your room. You’ll have to leave tomorrow morning if you wish to catch up to Vivik Grayson.’’

  5-minutes later after talking with Penelope about how the trail separates the soul from the body and manifests said soul into the form of our truest nature. That those oldest and most powerful of the witches have souls whose form can change shape to different animals.

  A knock sounded at the door and we paused our discussion, I stood as Penelope did and Ilya opened the door noiselessly and in entered a young woman barely reaching her twenties.

  She was skinny and thin, with a petite frame and height. Her skin was a creamy tan and her wide purple eyes were brighter than all the witches I’d seen so far. Her hair was a platinum blonde and hung loosely down her back. She wore the familiar acolyte robes with the silvery cord and accents, atop her head was a wide brimmed black hat like I’d expect to see a witch wearing.

  Her feet had actual shoes covering them, a pair of black heel boots. She smiled widely, showcasing her perfect white teeth and ran to Penelope. The elderly woman hugged the younger one, “grandma,” Emilia squeal into Penelope embrace.

  I glanced at Ilya and raised an eyebrow; the dark elf gave me a nonchalant shrug. “My dear girl, how you’ve grown,” the older woman said, wiping at nothing on the girls forehead. “Has that old fox been teaching you properly.”

  Emilia giggled, “you know Kasbian has, granny.”

  “What’s that old crone, saying about me now,” said a voice from outside of the room. I glanced at the door just as a large orange furred fox entered, it’s white tipped tail swooshing lazily behind it. “Is she-” the fox started to say but stopped when we locked eyes. “P-penny is this?” the fox stuttered motioning with his head at me. The old woman smiled gently at the fox, “Kasbian. May I introduce Alaric Rosen, the outworlder and heir to the observer,” Penelope gestured with some ceremony. “Alaric, this Kasbian, Emilia’s mothers’ familiar.”

  I bowed my head to the fox, “a pleasure to meet you Kasbian,” I said, absolutely awed that I was talking to a talking fox.

  “Rosen?” he asked instead, there was a sadness to his voice.

  “A name given to me, to serve as a reminder of a friend’s sacrifice,” I explained. The old fox looked to Penelope and the old woman nodded some affirmation I didn’t understand, then I repeated his question in my mind. He had asked, Rosen? Kasbian padded across the room to sit before me, I crouched down to a knee; so that we were eye to eye.

  It was odd watching an animal speak, his lips and snout moved perfectly as each word was formed and spoken. “I was with Magna when we met your friend Wyatt Rosen,” the old fox began. I listened, captivated by the abridged tale of my friend and how he struggled to keep a promise he had made to his dead wife Vanessa.

  I thought back on the door Vanessa had walked through to Dreamland what felt like so long ago now and realised that even if it wasn’t really a literal after life, they would still be together in some way.

  I heard about the confrontation with a fodraca, that had claimed the lives of Agnarr Gallus’s nephews. The last Kashiran on Viria and one of those solely responsible for the Shi’en returning, though it was done in his ignorance.

  How in the end, their quest had been achieved and they had stopped the Shi’en from accessing another gate way onto Viria, but in the end their victory had come with a cost.

  Agnarr was killed was the shadows of Dyarkum, Magna had been hounded away and essentially lost. How Wyatt had fought and fought to see Kasbian through a portal and back to Viria.

  “I don’t know what happened to him after we fell through the portal Wyatt formed. But he was no longer there when I woke,” Kasbian finished and his head dipped fractionally.

  “It’s not your fault,” I said to the fox and gently laid a hand on his furred shoulder. “Wyatt was a stubborn bastard, even when I was a kid he’d never listen to logic.” I chuckled briefly but then sobered up. “I saw him before the end, he gave his life for me. I only hope to do his name proud by carrying it,” I told the fox.

  He nodded, “thank you Alaric. I only hope to see my Magna once again someday.” With that over we got back to the discussion of the trial and an hour later I was following Ilya through whatever floor we were on to the room I was to rest in.

  The Mælkeri showed me to what was fundamentally a storage closet.

  Inside were two worn cots and a single side table between, she moved ahead of me and took the cot to the left-hand side of the room. Sitting on the cot she looked at me, “Well, are you going to rest?” she purred at me.

  “I thought I was getting a room of my own?” I asked.

  The dark elf laughed sexily as if I had said something funny, “this is your own room. Starting in the morning I am to be your body guard at all times. To protect your thick man brain from the creatures of the Farlands,” she said, and I felt a tingling thrum surge through the forefront of my brain. Then I knew, her last words had been spoken in a different language. I hadn’t felt this at all before, not even with Ariana. I smirked at the Mælkeri and spoke to her in her own language, “that’s an awful thing to say about someone you barely know.”

  I watched as her eyes widened, and she sprung from the cot and flashed out with her scimitars, the wickedly curved and sharp swords flew from their sheaths and sliced through the air at me.

  I reacted by closing my eyes and summoning a blazing ball of churning fire in my hand, she stopped her swords an inch from my neck. Her eyes had to squint from the sudden explosion of light, and I forced a thought forwards and fought to hold the image.

  My fireball flattened instantly and lengthen to that of a dagger aimed dead centre at the Mælkeris’ chest. I noticed the solidity of my fire dagger.

  It was an orange and red crystal weapon exactly how I imagined it. I masked; my surprise rather quickly unwilling to give anything away. “Enough of the damn posturing, or one of us is gonna die, and it ain’t gonna be me,” I said in a hushed voice and called back my fire forged dagger. Instantly feeling an intense wave of exhaustion wash over me. I stepped around Ilya and made my way the right-side cot, I unslung my cloak and unhitched my sword belt. The latter I laid against my cot and the former I used as a blanket. I laid down to see Ilya
gone and the door shut.

  I leaned my head back and fell into a dreamless sleep.

  I awoke the next the morning feeling more exhausted than previously, my whole body ached and itched. My stomach grumbled and I smelled like shit. Wiping the gunk from my eyes I sat up to see Ilya sitting cross legged on other bed, she held a hardback covered book in her lap. She read quietly as she slid a knife along a wet stone. I blinked owlishly at her and groaned as I popped my back, I was about to asked her if she was reading how to sharpen a knife for dummy’s when I felt the presence of the power.

  “It’s too early though, isn’t it?” I asked myself quietly. I fell into mediation and dived my mind into my delve. Sure enough, the orb housing my power custard was expanding as it filled. I even felt more of a flow this time. Had my attempt at forming a solidified shape from fire increased the amount of power I could draw on? “What are you doing?” came a voice, interrupting my thoughts.

  I sighed and withdrew from my delve. I opened my eyes to see Ilya watching me, book still in her lap and still sharpening her knife.

  “Meditating, what does it look like?” I answered rhetorically.

  “Like your mastering the perfect shit,” she countered immediately in her sexy-ass voice.

  I crack my knuckles and got off the bed, “when do we leave?” I asked the dark elf.

  “In an hours-time,” she replied and went back to sharpening her big butter knife. “That’s barely enough time to enjoy some coffee,” I said with a groan.

  “You humans are always in a rush, everything must be done quickly, everything is applied to a schedule. You rush so frequently that you miss the obvious,” she said and pointed to the side table. On it was a wooden tray and two cups, one drained and the other filled with the hot scent of xhant.

  I took in a sharp inhalation through my nostrils as the scent of the coffee hit me, my taste buds salivating instantly at the thought of caffeine.

  I turned to Ilya as I picked up my cup, “you know if you weren’t such an uptight bitch. I’d say this was a friendly gesture but thank you all the same.” Ilya smiled slightly at my words as I hoped she would, though she showed no teeth. “Except, that you forgot breakfast,” I added and took a slow breath as a knife flashed past my face to bury in the wall behind me. “But never mind,” I continued, taking a sip.

  “Showers?” I asked the Mælkeri. “Two rights from here and a left, third door down,” she replied and off I went to shower. After scrubbing myself clean I threw on some fresh clothing provided by Ilya, who was waiting outside the bathing room door.

  They were an assembly of dark green’s and black, very similar to Ariana’s leather outfit. They also provided me with some armour, a dark brown leather brigandine coat with small interlinking chains layering across my torso beneath leather flaps. Studded steel, leather vambraces for my arms. Glove’s to cover my runes and leather greaves with similar steel studs to the vambraces. Even got a new pair of boots. They were a muddy brown and fit the outfit wonderfully.

  Following Ilya out of the door and back into the hallway. We made for the cafeteria, taking the shift disc up several flights till we came to floor 78 above underground level. The dining hall was deserted, and several ladies and a man dished out our food.

  I hustled several plates of cook bacon, sausages, eggs and mushrooms. Then I singled out a plate of toast and asked about the sugary butter I had with the Elder Mother. They instantly knew which I meant and provided some, as well as a fresh pot of xhant.

  I guzzled the coffee and with a ferocious growl I set about devouring my breakfast. Twenty minutes later I leaned back on the incredibly uncomfortable wooden bench in the dining area. I felt overly full and sick to my stomach.

  I glanced over at Ilya who was nursing her own cup of xhant. The Mælkeri hadn’t eaten anything, and only seemed to sip her coffee. I moved as if my belly was hindering the motion, yet I knew otherwise. I leaned forward on the table and watched the dark elf. “How’d you become the old woman’s bodyguard?” I asked, seeing if I could pry something personal out of her.

  Ilya glanced up from staring at her cup, “not much to it really. And I’m not really her bodyguard, more of a friend. I’m what my people call a Mælic Redeye, we’re different from the rest of the Mælkerians. I was an outcast because I was born this way. I was treated poorly by the town I was abandoned in. Beaten daily and chained up in the town centre, I would starve nearly to death and then once a week several Mælkeri of the town would gather to thrown food at me, taunting me.”

  She paused and sipped her drink, grimacing slightly at the coldness I guessed.

  “Both of my hands and legs were chained so I was spread wide for them like an easy target, I became so desperate to fill my hunger that ate rotten fruit and expired meats before Penelope arrived. She came solely to that town to save me. She took me in and let me do as I liked saying she had a purpose for me. That if I wished to live, I would learn to fight back and kill if need be. So, I did, and so here I still am.”

  I let her words drift between us, till they evaporated into the winds of memory. Images flashed through my mind and for once, I welcomed them.

  I was within a cage meant for a rapid dog. Men raped and beat on a beautifully dark-haired woman nearby; I didn’t know who she was; but my young hands scraped and beat at the metal bars of the cage as one man began to strangle the woman pumping his hips till, he released inside her with a roar.

  I screamed and begged them to stop, my eyes listlessly drifting to a well-dressed man and I cried for him to save the woman. “The moon is arising men, welcome her into our pack and then set the place on fire. I’ve had enough of the Rosewoods hospitality,” that man drawled and lick his lips as he completely ignored my pleading cries.

  His freshly prim suit with dark red accents turned from me and I saw behind him was a body hanging from the branch of a large tree in the courtyard. Then the men who had raped and beaten the woman to an unrecognisable and bloody mess, changed shape and began to howl into the darkening sky.

  I blinked as my lungs gave an explosive exhalation, and I coughed a touch too violently. I glanced around and saw Ilya was moving back to the kitchen staff with her cup in hand. “Fucking hell Wyatt,” I said between deep racking breath’s, “fucking hell.”

  We stepped outside of the Obelisk and Ny’thier city was quiet, only a few people with long glowing antennae protruding from their head’s swept the street clean of any litter. Their heads collectively swivelled to us as we moved away from the Obelisk towards the docks.

  We came to the big sea vessel we were to be boarding upon for our journey to the Farlands. The vessel looked like a cross between a small warship and a merchant vessel. It had eight guns on either side, and a ballista on the foredeck. A small swivel gun was attached to the railing at the back of the poop-deck, watching the rear. Sailors scurried about going back and forth, adjusting the slack of rope tethering the sails and tightening each knot or line.

  Some wound thick cords of cabled rope as others heaved massive barrels and carried them up the plank and onto the ship.

  I saw the bubbly blonde Emilia standing and fidgeting with excitement as she watched the sailors going about their work. “Is it just me or does her wondrous amount of energy annoy you as well?” I asked Ilya.

  The dark elf sighed slightly and gave a small nod, “it does. But she’s still young, I’ll not be the one to take away her innocence,” Ilya replied. I watched as we approached the ship as a massively barrel-chested man in a bright green coat with gold accents shouted orders and gestured wildly at the crew.

  Stood beside him was a tall skinny bespectacled man in a grey coat and a blue scarf. The man thinned out his thin moustache, as he silently watched the men work. “The slim man in the grey coat at the helm is the captain. His first mate is in bright colours, don’t underestimate either of them for their appearance,” Ilya silently murmured loud enough for me to hear.

  I nodded, “got it.” We came to a stop a distance
away from Emilia allowing the energetic girl to noticed us first.

  “Aunty Ilya,” Emilia spluttered with joy and ran to us. I coughed into my hand as Ilya shot me a death glare, “what? I didn’t say anything,” I said though I was laughing inside.

  “Wouldn’t hurt you to smile, Aunty Ilya,” I said quietly just before Emilia slammed into the Mælic Redeye.

  After they greeted each other, Emilia stepped over to me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you again Mr. Rosen,” she said and held out her dainty hand.

  “You as well Emilia,” I replied and shook to hand carefully, making sure not to squeeze at all. “And Alaric is just fine.” She nodded, and with a reserved focus she stepped away me and linked her arm with Ilya. Soon all three of us were walking to greet the captain and first mate of the Naiad.

  “Mistress Ilya! It is a damn-fine pleasure to have you aboard our voyage once again,” said the exuberant first mate, as he moved forward to clasp arms with the dark elf. His brightly coloured clothing jingled as he moved, and I saw a series of small bells tied to the unfastened buttons of his coat.

  “The pleasure is all mine Thiomin, these are my charges this year. Emilia Sorenson and Alaric Rosen,” she told the man. Thiomin looked at us and then cast a look back at the grey coated man, the captain.

  The captain gave him a nod, some form of confirmation passing between them. “I welcome you both aboard the Naiad, she is a swift and harden vessel. We’ve done many a run through the Amberic sea to the Amberic isles and then further to Pyhronia. So have no fear aboard this ship for she will keep you safe and weather you from all storms.”

  “Storm? There’s a storm coming?” Asked Emilia quickly.

  The broad man chuckled, “there is always a storm brewin’ somewhere Lass. It’s just a matter of when we approach it,” Thiomin said. My attention drifted to a pack of men on the docks hoisting on some rope as others secured a tether to a wooden crane; that rotated and swung over onto the deck of the Naiad. The bulk it carried in a wrap of netting were barrels and chests though they seem heavier than the rest the man had carried.