Aidan gently took the orb; surprisingly, it was as light as a feather. He lifted it up in front of his chest and stared deeply into it, his face hardening as he focused.
Does Vartan live? he thought.
Within the orb, he saw small flashes of movement and swirls of colour. At first it was just a few hues, then suddenly the mist cleared and he saw dragons as they flew higher in the sky than the eye could see.
“It can’t be—dragons don’t exist. Everybody knows that they died out long ago,” said Aidan.
“If you see it, then it is simply as it is,” replied Trisa. “Nothing is trickery in the Orb of Farsight. Dragons, you say? I would never have thought it possible either, but it must be so. That is certainly an interesting turn of events. We have not seen dragons in Marithia for a very long time.”
As the orb took him closer to the flying legends, he made out a man held within the claws of the largest of the dragons, his hair fluttering in the wind. Aidan beamed. “That must be Vartan. He is alive!”
Where are they headed? he wondered.
Suddenly, the vision in the orb flew ahead at incredible speed and lowered its view down to a city within a giant dome of sparkling magic.
Aidan's eyes widened as he blurted, “He’s headed to She’Ma’Ryn? But why would he do that? Surely Kassina will find them there. I have to get out of here and help him!” He tried to get up but fell back into the bed in agony and struggled to catch his breath.
Trisa smiled, but her expression was full of compassion for him. “The way you are now, you will not be helping anyone, regardless of your good intentions. You would instead need the help of others. If Kassina even attempted to set foot in She’Ma’Ryn, she would be torn to shreds within seconds. Have you never been there? The city has hundreds of enchanted guardians, and is a trade port between cities, lands and even between worlds. There are forces there that she would not even begin to understand. Elements that are unknown to Marithia can be traded there, which is likely why Vartan is headed to it. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to venture near the city—well, at least she wouldn’t want to be.”
“If the guardians are so powerful, why don’t they help us in Marithia?”
“My dear Aidan, it is so much more complicated than that. It takes immense power for those guardians and traders to even arrive into the realm of Marithia. The city itself was built to house them, and provide them with all the power they need to survive within its magical walls. The ancients built the city… with some help. They sent out messages throughout the stars with the promise of its protection, and in return for that protection, the guardians watch over it fiercely.”
What would Vartan want in She’Ma’Ryn? he thought.
The orb hummed as its vision flew closer; it got as far as the great gates to the city before it ground to a halt.
“I know of no powers great enough to breach the walls of the city,” said Trisa. “I think that’s enough magic for today.” She gently prised the orb out of Aidan’s hands and returned it to the drawer. Then she slipped into the bed beside him and whispered with a wink, “Now, would you like me to kiss you better?”
Kassina - by Guido Leber
Chapter 8: How I Wonder
“I have never seen such childish rage - they almost tore the place apart! Now I have to rebuild so much furniture, fix the locks and the broken doors, and somehow make everyone feel safe enough to come here again. Maybe I should just give up the Inn, but that would be what they want me to do.
I suppose we really should count ourselves lucky. In Kassina’s haste, they both left the inn without shedding any blood. The gods only know if we’ll be so lucky next time they pay us a visit.
How long will it take before a hero will rise to face them? Somebody has to save us all.”
(Hildar, Innkeeper)
The moon shone brightly in the inky, star-speckled sky, as if a god had opened a single eye to gaze upon the troubled realm of Marithia. The lands were fast asleep, with only the howls of wolves and gentle hoots of owls breaking the uncomfortable silence. A lone wolf made its way through the shadows of the trees, heading towards the mystical lights of the great trade city. It stopped for a moment to sniff the humid air, breathing out faint curls of mist in the moonlight, and allowed the smells of the night to guide its way forward. The wolf was suddenly startled by wildly swaying trees. It stared into the sky and cocked its head in recognition. Lowering its ears, it bolted away from the city, disappearing into the cover of darkness.
One by one, the dragons landed in the forest, finding gaps between the trees to fit their great bodies into. Having flown through gathering clouds, they shook the now muddied water off their hides. Vartan also shook off the blown dust, and turned his gaze to the magnificent sight of She’Ma’Ryn. His sharp intake of breath gave away his surprise.
The city was built into the side of a tall, rocky mountain, as if a giant section of it had been cut out solely for the purpose. A gigantic magical dome protected the city, and through it a thin beam of white light shot up past the stars and into the unknown.
“This is amazing!” proclaimed Vartan. “So now I have finally seen the wondrous She’Ma’Ryn my father always talked about. If I were him, I’d surely like to come more often than once a year!”.
Karven laughed. “Of course you would, Vartan. But the guardians of the city only allow Marithians one visit a year, unless they have been granted special rights by the council of traders."
Two dragons approached, pushing a heavy cart containing two wooden chests laden with treasures. The closest dragon bowed and breathed, "The trade treasure is all accounted for, as you ordered, sire."
The sound of twigs breaking and leaves rustling filled the air as Karven pushed the cart towards Vartan with his nose. Vartan nodded to the dragons and dragged the heavy cart in the direction of She’Ma’Ryn as he continued the conversation. He spoke through puffed breaths. “I see. Well then, how do you suppose we are going to get inside the city right now? It’s not the right time of year, is it?"
Karven cocked his head as he spoke. “I happen to be the very first trade councillor, and I can grant you permission to enter at any moment of my choosing. How do you think the ancients built the city? Do you think they carved it into the mountain all by themselves? You will see that dragons are capable of building more than just weapons.”
Vartan's reply was soft. “I see, Karven,” he smiled. “It appears that there is far more to dragons than I first realised."
They approached the city on a well-beaten path that led to two gargantuan marble statues of dragons. As the statues came into sight, the travellers could see the heat escaping the nostrils of the statues and their shiny blue eyes moving to follow their position. Well, that makes sense, thought Vartan in hindsight.
In between the statues stood two heavily armed guardians, protected by the magic dome. Vartan had never seen anyone like them before. They were twice the size of the biggest man he had ever laid eyes upon. Their armour was a strange shade of blue that lightened and darkened to blend in with their surroundings. The guardians drew their weapons as Vartan and the dragons neared the gate. At first their swords appeared quite small and ill-equipped in their oversized hands, but then they gripped the handles of their swords tightly and the weapons’ enchantments activated; their blades slid out with a strange metallic ring, doubling their length.
One of the guardians raised a hand at them and boomed, “State your business here and do not attempt to enter without permission. Consider yourselves warned—if you value your lives, heed our warning and go back the way you came."
Karven adjusted his scales to reveal his enormous body towering beside them, and lowered his head to meet the guardians on their level. “Vartan travels with me and has my permission to enter the city. His purpose is only to trade. I understand your caution, but there is no need for concern here. Please step aside and let him pass.”
The guardians squeezed their sword handles and retracted their weapon
s back to their original states. They both bowed towards Karven and resumed their positions.
“Great Councillor, please accept our apologies," said one of the guardians. "Vartan's entry is granted as an exception with your permission. There are only traders from other worlds within the city at this time, as it is not yet the season for your world’s trade festival. We hope their offerings will suffice. Will you grace the city with your presence today, Councillor Karven? Should we alert the Council?”
“No need to alert anyone,” responded Karven. “I will not be entering tonight, and will await Vartan’s return here.”
“As you wish, Councillor. We will watch over him closely to ensure his safety. No harm will befall him within our city. Please, Vartan, walk through the gate - you are safe here,” said the other guardian. He beckoned for Vartan to come inside.
The guardians both pushed on a device hidden from view in the back of the statues. The magical wall hummed as a pulsing purple slit appeared in the dome, which then widened and created an open gateway to allow him through.
The voice of Karven filled Vartan's mind. Vartan, remember that you carry with you a great deal of dragon and elven treasure. Do not waste it. How you trade is entirely up to you, but make sure it is a worthwhile trade and try not to spend too much time.
Vartan nodded in agreement, and walked through the opening to the city. As he stepped through, the sheer scale of She’Ma’Ryn came into view. Until this moment, Vartan had thought that Greenhaven was the largest city in Marithia. She’Ma’Ryn contained a spiderweb of streets crowded with both small and large buildings. Smoke bellowed from the many forges and occupied buildings. In all directions, guardians patrolled the streets. There were literally thousands of them, all of them heavily armed.
No wonder nobody ever tries to enter the city. Do these guardians ever sleep? thought Vartan.
A gate guardian turned his head towards Vartan and cocked it with curiosity. No, Vartan, we do not sleep. As we are creatures of magic, we do not require what you would call sleep. And we can hear you when you speak through your mind, just as we can hear the thoughts of anyone else who visits our city.
“I imagine that would come in handy to eliminate theft and crime?” asked Vartan.
“This is true, and we enjoy a mostly crimeless city as a result. We have zero tolerance for crimes, and theft is punishable by death.”
Vartan's face paled. “Stealing is punishable by death? That’s a bit over the top, don’t you think? What do you do to murderers?”
“The law is the law, and we serve the law, not question it. For our city to exist as a safe destination for many worlds, we need to adopt the highest levels of control. All crimes against the safety of the city or the people within the city are punishable by death. This is something that we make abundantly clear to anyone arriving here. Speaking of which, you may want to take a look at the interstellar portal. Be sure that it is only your sight that nears the building as it is off limits.”
In the centre of the city was a gigantic structure surrounded by yet more guardians. The building looked unlike anything he had ever seen. Its great doors were heavily guarded, but the building itself appeared almost like a living creature. Resembling a flower, its many metallic layers opened and closed like massive petals. It connected to the central beam of light which shot up and out of the city. Vartan stopped in his tracks and stared at it with his mouth gaped wide. "I have never seen anything like that before."
One of the guardians raised a finger to the building as the other turned to return to the gate. “Vartan, that is the only area you are not permitted to enter. There will likely be plenty of things here that you have never seen before. You are our guest, and as such, you are allowed to trade at any building with a raised flag. The raised flag signals to you that it is occupied with traders who are ready to conduct business. Is there anything in particular you are seeking?”
Vartan's imagination ran wild with ideas, but he remembered Karven's words. “Unfortunately, my time here is short. Where can I buy weapons and armour?"
The guardian pointed out one of the larger buildings to the north. “That is the District of Bloodshed; you will find what you seek there. You are lucky to visit the city at this time, as the traders are just preparing new stock for the upcoming trade festival. You will get first choice of their wares.”
Vartan nodded his thanks and boldly headed down the indicated path. On the way, he couldn’t help but take notice of other traders in the surrounding districts. There were beings of all kinds within the buildings. Some were human and elven, but most were clearly not from the world of Marithia. One district was alive with colour and activity. Strange music emanated from a building within, its beat making his heart pump faster with excitement.
It wouldn't hurt to take a little look, would it? he thought.
Wheeling his cart, he approached the district and took note of the flying flag. It appeared to be made of silk and lace, but it flew unnaturally slowly, as if it were in slow motion. Suddenly a tall voluptuous woman approached him. Her skin was a dark shade of grey; her hair was eerily translucent, and her eyes glowed blue. She extended a gloved hand to meet his and walked him toward the district's stores as she spoke with him. Her voice was almost a whisper. "We don't usually have outsiders visit the District of Pleasure before the festival. Welcome, I am Madame Flarantine, and this entire district belongs to me."
He felt a tingling as he passed the district's flag. She stopped near the smallest of buildings, with pink flames on its torches. The building appeared inviting and Flarantine leaned back on the door, extending her unnaturally long right leg from within her silky black dress. The straps of her red heeled shoe wrapped around her shapely calf and ended just below her knee.
Vartan smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you for the warm welcome, Madame, but I am short on time and am just passing through to the District of Bloodshed."
Flarantine pouted her blue lips and husked, "Well, this is disappointing. I was hoping for a customer tonight. You do realise that this area is enchanted, don't you? Time slows down here. A day in the district of pleasure will only cost you a quarter of your time. After all, we can never have enough time for pleasure, can we?"
Vartan raised an eyebrow in disbelief and turned to look back. The guardians in his view were moving at a slug's pace. "You weren't joking, were you?"
"I don't joke,” she said a grin. “It's not in my nature. Are you sure that you don't want to spend some time with me, inside?" She peered over his shoulder and her eyes twinkled. "You know... Time spent with me would not even cost you even one of your gems. In fact, it would buy you time with me in the future. It is said that my skills are the best in our corner of the galaxy."
Vartan blushed and began to walk further down the street.
Her voice called out from behind him, "Your heart belongs to a lucky woman. True love is a rarity in these parts. What is her name?"
Vartan turned to her and his face paled as he watched Flarantine shake her head of hair and transform into a perfect image of Helenia.
Approaching her cautiously, he blurted, "You can't be serious!"
"I doubt that is her name," laughed Flarantine heartily.
Staring at her from head to toe, his eyes widened. "How in Marithia did you manage to look exactly like Helenia?"
She cleared her throat and Helenia's voice spoke back to him. "Well, darling, I am not the best in the galaxy without good reasons. I have an ability to look inside your mind and take the form of anyone in your memory. Whatever tempts you." Approaching slowly, she extended her arm to lay her hand on his shoulder and slipped her other arm around him from behind. "Don't worry; I would never betray your trust. What happens here… stays here."
Vartan tensed as she lay her lips on his neck and whispered in his ear. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like with her? You could find out tonight, and nobody would ever know."
Vartan shook her off gently and turned to her. "It matters not w
hat anyone would know, Flarantine. I would know. Thank you for your kind invitation, but I would never risk losing her, especially not for pleasure. She is far too precious to me."
Extending her arms out wide and bowing, she morphed back into her true form and whispered, "Very well, if you really are not interested. Enjoy your stay. But know this, I will always be here for you if you ever change your mind. You really don't know what you are missing."
Vartan nodded and continued on his way. He passed by various creatures and races from other worlds. Many buildings were focused on physical pleasures, with diverse beings standing in various states of undress. Their innumerable forms and colours were fascinating, but he simply smiled at their plentiful offers. The building playing music had caught his attention for a few moments. He had never seen such interesting instruments or heard such sounds in Marithia. One stringed instrument appeared to be powered by something which was connected inside the building.
You, come here. I have things that you will need, said a voice in his mind, distracting him from the musicians.
He stopped wheeling the heavy cart and looked around at the many traders in sight, desperately attempting to work out who had spoken to him.
Look for the small blue flag with a red circle, said the voice.
Vartan squinted as he scanned the kaleidoscopic view before discovering the described flag. He cautiously approached the trader and fully took in his appearance. For a moment, Vartan almost mistook him for a human being. On closer inspection he could see the being’s brilliant white skin and small slit of a mouth that marked him as anything but. The trader’s eyes were closed, but Vartan could still feel his direct stare, and it made his nerves uneasy.
I am pleased to meet you. You understand my thoughts as your mind interprets them into words of your own. I can read your mind, so please do not bother to haggle with me. I have some items that will aid you in your journey. Some of these artefacts are for you, and some are for those closest to you.
Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition Page 9