by P D Ceanneir
The tower lurched to the left and the outer wall to Havoc’s right cracked and then toppled outwards to reveal the forests and the vista of mountains beyond them.
It also revealed the Cybeleion hovering some distance to the east and moving closer to the shaking tower. He could see people running about on deck and the tall, wide figure of Little Kith swinging a rope with a grappling hook. Havoc realised it was a valiant attempt at a rescue, but he judged that it was going to be too late to save them.
However, the shaking stopped… almost. There were slight tremors vibrating through their booted feet and the trees in the woods below still shook violently, but calm dropped over the Phemoral room. Amazingly, masonry slowed in their fall, trapped by some gravity well.
Huge chunks of marble moved with a will of their own. They floated outside the breach in the wall and formed into long lines, bridging the distance between the tower and the Sky Ship, each chunk fused together to strengthen the hastily constructed bridge.
They all stared in dumb amazement. Havoc noticed Ness Ri nodding towards the Sword that Rules and mouthing the words, “The Blacksword”. Havoc grinned back.
‘Right, everyone, over the bridge!’ yelled the prince.
Tia and Whyteman took the lead. The makeshift bridge seemed uneven, though stable enough for a hastily constructed footpath. Gunach, Hexor and Foxe followed on behind them as the Cybeleion closed the distance, moving side-on to the end of the bridge. Far below, the forest edge began to collapse as the ground opened up around the foundations of the Oculus.
Havoc waved his hand to inform Powyss and Lord Ness to go next, but Powyss grabbed the prince and pushed him onto the bridge, saying, ‘young fool! You’re more important than we are.’ They reached the other side, each of them helped over the starboard railing by the crew.
Havoc stayed by the railing. He reached out his hand and summoned the Sword that Rules. Everyone watched in awe as the sword punched its way through the outer wall that had not already collapsed. They were mesmerised as it spun through the air, arcing high and then dropping towards the Sky Ship. The moment it landed hilt first inside the prince’s hand, the tower crashed to the ground amid a torrent of rubble, smashing its way through the trees and obscuring everything inside a cloud of dust.
31
‘We knew you were heading for the highest part of the tower,’ Furran informed Powyss, ‘Captain Danyil felt he could do more in the air than on the ground seeing as the way to the stairs was blocked by those bloody Golem. Beside, Mirryn was going crazy, she was screeching as she flew off to circle the towers top room. We judged she was trying to tell us something.’
Powyss was only listening to part of what Furran was saying. He was looking for the prince through the crowd that mingled on deck. He found him crouching next to an exhausted looking Tia who lay propped up against a water barrel and sipping from a ladle of water given to her by one of the Wyvern Faille.
‘How are you?’ Havoc asked her with genuine concern.
She shrugged and looked up into his eyes, touched his cheek with a shaking hand, smiled, then lent forward and kissed him. Her hand gripped the nape of his neck so he was unable to pull away. He gave a muffled cry of surprise and then kissed her back.
After a few seconds, they parted.
‘Hello,’ she said to him, with a smile of affection.
Havoc grinned back, but he raised one eyebrow in sceptical fascination. ‘Erm...hello.’
‘You’re very handsome.’
‘Um...thank you.’
‘You came after me.’
‘Ah...yes I did.’
It was only then that she noticed everyone standing around them. Silent and staring with wide eyes and dropped jaws, all except the female Wyvern, who smiled a knowing smile at her.
Tia spoke to the crew as she pointed towards Havoc’s chest.
‘Are he and I lovers?’ she said and to a man, and woman, they all shook their heads. Gunach, the only non-human amongst them chuckled.
‘To be honest, we’re not sure, Mistress Tia.’
Tia went pale. Lord Ness stepped in and crouched beside a rather bemused Havoc.
‘The Storm that took you has made you lose your memory, my dear,’ he said soothingly, ‘It is temporary, I assure you. I think a little rest is needed.’ He signalled to the Wyvern to take her away to her rooms.
Tia looked at the prince, ‘but you rescued me! Why would you do that?’
‘To be honest, I would rescue anyone from danger,’ he said but looked towards the Ri for confirmation. Lord Ness nodded in agreement.
‘But if it makes you feel better,’ smiled Havoc, ‘I could easily go with your original assumption.’ This time he grabbed her head and kissed her. She did not resist, but embraced him tightly in her arms.
32
Two days later found Havoc and Lord Ness chatting about the events that had taken place inside the Oculus as they stood alone on the aft deck railing, watching the stars twinkling in the night sky.
‘Out of all in the Ri Order, I always found Cullen to be the most gifted in ancient knowledge,’ remarked Lord Ness. ‘He was a great loss to the Academy when he went missing all those years ago. Now we know where he went to.’
Havoc nodded, ‘the Backsword told me that the years under the control of the Phemoral made him mad. His exposure to the Earth Daemon would not have helped either. The question is when was he ordained into the Brethac Ziggurat?’
Lord Ness pursed his lips, ‘I would surmise that it was long before joining the Ri Order, possibly the same with the others we learnt of. It explains how they could do so without me learning of their true intentions. This Lord Sernac troubles me, though.’
‘You have never heard of him?’
Lord Ness shook his head sadly. ‘Never. The name is obviously a pseudonym. “Sernac” is an ancient title; it means Leader of the People, or something along those lines.’ The Ri shivered against the chill from the east wind that flowed over the deck. He closed his cloak tighter and Havoc had the feeling his old mentor was reluctant to say more. His master then changed the subject.
‘The Backsword saved our lives,’ he said, ‘his ability to use the Rawn Arts is amazing and I do not say that lightly.’
The prince chuckled. ‘Not really, he merely used the energy absorbed by the Pyromancium blade and enhanced it through the Phemoral long enough for us to escape.’
‘Nevertheless, we are all indebted to him.’
Havoc chuckled, ‘Indebted, did you hear that?’ he said, obviously talking to the Blacksword in his head. The Ri watched as the prince cocked his head listening to the silence and he grinned.
‘He said, “You are welcome”.’
‘Really?’ asked Lord Ness in surprise.
‘No, not really. It’s probably for the best if you do not ask what he actually said.’ Both the Ri and the prince laughed. Havoc stood up from leaning over the railing and his face became one of seriousness.
‘I will report what we have learnt about this Lord Sernac to Bleudwed now that I’m able to use Tia’s Lobe Stone to speak to her. She will get word back to father.’
Lord Ness nodded. Havoc’s contact with the Countess of Sonora kept him informed about the events back home. However, he worried that the spies of the Brethac Order would discover her involvement and so, as always when the prince mentioned Bleudwed, he urged caution.
‘Don’t worry. She is very careful,’ Havoc assured him.
Velnour interrupted them as he hobbled up the stairway. His leg had been healed by the Ri a few days ago, yet it still pained him and would continue to do so for some time. Lord Ness explained to him that he had to walk about as much as he could bear.
‘There you are, my lords,’ he said, ‘Master Ri, I come from Foxe’s room. He wished to see you.’
‘Of course. How is he?’
Velnour shrugged, ‘just the same, still not eating and wallows in self-pity. He and Hexor will not tell me what’s wrong.’ He looked a litt
le dejected. Both the prince and the Ri knew that Velnour was close to the twins in friendship. Foxe’s sudden depression concerned everyone, but it was the Ri that surmised the cause was due to what he saw of his future in the Muse Orrinn.
‘I will see him now,’ said Lord Ness and he bade both men farewell and stomped off towards the Paladin’s quarters.
33
Lord Ness knocked twice and then entered without waiting for an answer. He realised that this may seem rude to most people, but by tradition, a Ri could go anywhere unhindered, such was the law of the land…and the sky.
As he expected, he found both twins sitting in silence. Foxe looked glum as he stared down at the floor. Hexor stood and greeted the Ri.
‘Thank you for coming, my lord,’ he said.
‘I’m always here for any of you, you know that,’ Ness Ri smiled back, ‘now, what can I do for you?’
Hexor’s eyes furtively looked at his brother and then sat down again without a word. Lord Ness had never seen Sir Foxe looking so down. He was always a happy fellow, laughing and joking with the other Paladins.
‘Foxe is there something you wish to ask me?’ prompted the Ri.
Sir Foxe looked up. His eyes rimmed by shadow and his complexion pale. Obviously, sleep was something he badly needed.
‘I want you to take it away,’ he said.
‘Take what away?’ the Ri found.
It was at that point the young knight told him everything. He explained in detail the vision of his death, where it was and how it came about. Ness Ri felt a shiver run down his spine because flashes of his own vision came back to him. However, he calmed Foxe down with a wave of his hand.
‘These glimpses of the future are not set, Foxe,’ reassured the Ri. ‘Time is in an uneven flux, it can be changed.’ He had no idea how he knew this or even if he was right.
‘Why did it feel so real, then?’ said Foxe.
Lord Ness had no answer.
Hexor said, ‘apparently, I am going to be a father of seven screaming children and married to one of the loveliest woman I have ever seen. I did not believe what I was seeing, but I just know it to be the truth.’
‘And you, my lord, ‘Foxe asked, ‘were your visions true to you?’
Lord Ness looked away from the knight’s staring eyes, ‘I would rather not say.’
‘Then I would rather not see them. I want you to take them away, please. You are a Ri, you can erase my memories of the event.’
‘That is extremely unorthodox,’ snapped Lord Ness, ‘it is seldom done and I must have permission from the highest in our Order!’ He felt like a hypocrite after altering the thoughts of Lady Vara during the Ancarryn and the unease in his voice did not go unnoticed by the twins.
‘Me too,’ said Hexor, ‘because I also know of my brothers fate, I would rather forget also and charge you as our confessor to never tell us of this moment.’
Ness Ri sighed and nodded, ‘very well, sit together, please.’ Hexor moved to sit next to his brother while the Ri placed a hand each on their heads.
‘It would be best if you were to bring the memory of the vision to the surface of your minds. This way it shall be easier to delete.’
The twins did so. Lord Ness frowned as he concentrated on the Water Element to link with the twins and systematically cut out their memories. He wished that the memories of the Blacksword, standing over his birth cot, were as easy to erase.
THE END
A short history of the Hinterland
8962 Third Age Before Ascension to 2981 Years of Ascension
…such a land of towering trees and barely a hand span between them. Full of wild creatures and fell fiends…
From the Annuals of Alameral 9365 TA BA.
Though much is written about the Hinterland, few had dared, in the early ages of Plysarus history, to venture into such a wild realm to prove the scholars wrong. It is a vast territory beyond the huge wall of the Plysarus Mountains, forested and scarred with sea fjords, landlocked lochans and harsh winters.
The High Sultan Iunia Al Lam Bar Mach of Alameral ordered his scribes to list the annual tithes of the Sheikhs below him in what would become known as the Annuals of Alameral. It was in one of these annuals that describes the first recorded Boar Hunt in the Hinterland, circa 8962 TA BA.
…great beasts that were as large as a Hippo, tusks as long as a Sabre Cat’s, with the temper of a wounded Lion…
The religion of the Desert Princes forbade the eating of boar flesh yet rich nobles greatly sought the pelt of these huge animals. The peoples of the northern realms, the Yeathanis, were livestock farmers. They took to hunting the many creatures of the Hinterland and often brought back tame bears that could stand twice the height of the tallest man.
The Hinterland remained uncharted until the Assassi Elemental War. Few tribes could withstand the oppression of those dark days and so they fled over the Plysarus Mountains in the hope of starting a new life in the darker forests of the Hinterland. The Yeathanis were the first to populate the eastern edge of the foothills and claimed huge tracts of unpopulated land as far as the Utak River. They called their realm West Thanis. There they thrived; they felled timber, built large towns, grew crops and domesticated livestock.
However, they soon found that they were not alone.
The Jarlkinn were the indigenous peoples of the Hinterland, though primarily seafarers and traders from the east and the colder climates in the far north.
…a hardy race of pale skin and fair of hair and feature…
The Hinterland Sagas
There is no record of any disputes or conflict between the Jarlkinn and the Yeathanis. It is believed that they traded together and intermarried. Even today, the average Hinterlander is tall, like the Yeathanis, and broad of shoulder, like the Jarlkinn. Most are blonde and pale of skin, though there are several tribes (mainly in the west) that retain the darker skin of their ancestors. What we do know is that the Yeathanis vanished from history. Only the land they occupied retained their name. The Jarlkinn too, though more predominant, disappeared, but they retained their word “Jarl” to signify their sub-king or chieftain. The descendants of both peoples eventually called themselves Hinterlanders, a legacy of the Yeathanis.
They spread into fifteen Jarldoms. Eventually, as territorial deputes raged, these Jarldoms were placed under the control of the Jötnor, a form of spiritual retainer who were “Close to the Gods” and therefore used as Lawlords and mediators in Jarl politics. The Jötnor had the final decision on how law spread in the Hinterland and during the great debate on 263 YOA in the Varshnüm Council, the seat of the Jötnor; they decreed that the fifteen Jarldoms should merge into three-separated Kingdoms, five Jarldoms per kingdom. Therefore, West Thanis, Emir in the east and Kvern in the south became the new kingdoms of the Hinterlands. The five combined Jarldoms, now known as Wards, chose a king from the five Jarls to rule their kingdom.
Over time, the laws in each of the three kingdoms differed to a marked degree. Where one imposed the death penalty for adultery, another would encourage bigamy. Where one changed the symbols on weighing scales, another imposed harsh Trading Tax. By 303 YOA, dissension and resentment grew between the kingdoms and Jügfal the Second of Kvern, angered by the lack of respect shown to him by Emir’s Jötnors, imposed strict martial law on any Emirians entering his kingdom. King Harkor of Emir was unfazed by Jügfals show of infant arrogance, because he had an ally in the West Thanis king, Güthrum the Wise. Güthrum advised Harkor to ignore the threats from Kvern and the years of petty rivalry erupted into a border dispute that ended in one of Jügfal’s Bondsmen, which is a form of feudal lord, killing an Emir Jötnor.
Hinterland Law forbids any form of harm to the Jötnor lawlords, to do so is instant death. When Jügfal hid and protected his Bondsman, Harkor flew into a rage and invaded Kvern within days of the event. He lay waste to the crop fields of Jarl Olsom and destroyed the feasting hall of Jarl Horthal, but failed to take Jügfal’s castle. King Jügfal raised
his standard of the Kvarn Raven on the sixth day of Eil in the year of 309 YOA and marched his army against the Emir host. Both armies met in the shallow valley called Rothbörg.
…the Battle of Rothbörg spilt the blood of generations upon the grass. The field saw the rise of the sun and the battle not unending until the set. Last, the call of horn split the cries of the dying and into the fray came the treacherous King Güthrum…
The Hinterland Sagas
The battle was long and hard on a hot day in summer. Both sides fought until only a few remained. King Harkor died in the first charge and Jügfal died a few months later from wounds he received in the last hours of the fighting. As the Hinterland Sagas pointed out, King Güthrum arrived as the battle neared its end, yet he did not come to the aid of Harkor, instead he came to destroy the armies of both kingdoms, as was clearly his intent all along. He sent his Berserker clans to finish off the survivors on both sides and so Kvern and Emir were defenceless as Güthrum’s army raided the towns and villages for the remaining Jarls and their kin, slaying them where they stood.
After the conflict, Güthrum had his own Jötnor crown him High-king of the Hinterland. He constructed a throne, the Skull Throne, with the skulls of the dead kings and Jarls that fell in the battle. To this day, it remains the throne of the High-kings of the Hinterland; larger now due to each subsequent king’s skull added to it, apart from Gorstein the Sixth whose body was never found after he fell down the shaft of a tin mine and Fergus the Fourth who was lost at sea.
The Vorlkwern
Güthrum, for all of the lies and vitriol that the scholars of the age placed on his character, ruled for a peaceful and prosperous seventeen years as the first High-king of the Hinterland. Even his enemies, to which there were many after his deception at Rothbörg, were appeased enough to share in the profits of the new Hinterland economy. Güthrum opened up trade links all over the continent of Plysarus. Hinterlander Traders were seen as far west as Fyrandia and even traded south in the many ports of Tattoium-Tarridun, now that there was a lull in the Dragor-rix War for their Sea Drake-prow galleys to sail there in safety. He built a new city in the centre of the Hinterland calling it Tielbörg, or Three Rivers, because it sat on the intersection of trade routes that ran parallel to the joining rivers Kollos, Ariun and the Yep.