by Sam Ferguson
Kamal stood and felt very different. He looked down at his body and saw that he had grown in size. He was at least a foot taller now, perhaps even as tall as the Varvarr who had captured him. More than that, his arms and legs were thicker, imbued with musculature that he had not hitherto had. He looked up and the dragon smiled back at him, then she gestured with her head, and Kamal realized there was something else as well.
As he became aware of the great, white wings that had grown out of his back, he shouted with joy and excitement. He flexed them out wide to the side and gave an experimental flap. His body was lifted from the floor as naturally as if he had been born with wings and used them all his life.
“I can fly!” he said as he folded his wings back into place.
Interis Aruhat nodded. “Now go and get the others. All who take the oath to become Lunar Centurions shall be given the same gifts you have. Then you shall be able to defeat your enemy, and ensure peace for your people as well as protection for the crystal and the book.”
Kamal nodded, and was about to move, but then he stopped short, realizing that they were still missing something. “Um, I am not sure how to say this, but we don’t actually have any weapons.”
Interis Aruhat nodded. “As I mentioned before, I can sometimes see into the future. Before Gandreal Sedlorief sealed himself in this chamber, I had him and his people store exactly two hundred and one swords down here, knowing that this day would come.”
Kamal stared at her, amazed at everything she had said. She pointed beyond him and he turned to see the carved images of the dragons glowing different colors. One was gold, another was silver. There was a bronze dragon, a black one, a red, a blue, and a white, just as described in the story of the creation. The wall then melted away into the air, revealing several racks and stands filled with exquisite swords.
“These were forged by the elves of the first order of the Lunar Centurions,” the Ancient said. “The swords have been waiting for their rightful masters to come and take them, but there is one sword in particular I should like to show you.”
As she spoke, one of the swords floated up from the rack and sailed gently out to hover in front of Kamal. He dared not touch it, for its beauty was something to admire. The handle was white as snow. The pommel was fashioned into the head of a dragon. The hand guard was made to look like a pair of wings on the back of the handle, and large feet with talons on the front. The blade itself didn’t just shine, but crackled with small streaks of purple lightning that snaked across the metal.
“This is Greis, it is given to the captainof the Lunar Centurions. Gandreal Sedlorief was the first warrior to wield it, and he sealed it up so that it could be given to you.” Interis Aruhat took a breath and then blew gently on the blade. The metal began to glow a light hue of blue, and the lightning sparked across it more furiously. “You will find that your arm will never tire while swinging it. To you it will feel weightless. However, to your enemies it shall crash down upon them as if it were my very own tail, swung by me, for the blade is not made with a metal from this world. It was fashioned from one of my tail spikes, and it will never break nor rust.”
“It’s magnificent,” Kamal commented.
“As you learn to use it properly, it will help shield you from danger with lightning. It is a powerful tool, one that I entrust only to my chosen champion. Take it in your hand, and then go and fetch the others. I must grant them each with their wings before my energy is spent.”
Kamal stopped suddenly as a new idea came to him. “If you don’t mind my asking, why not just give everyone wings? Then we could escape from the valley and there would not have to be a war with the Varvarr.”
“That is not possible,” Interis Aruhat said.
“Why?” Kamal asked. “Why not show me the crystal and the book, and then send your astral projection to where my father and the other Krilo are and then give them wings so we could all escape? Why did there have to be war?”
The Ancient lifted her head. “You still do not understand. My powers are limited. I can project into this room because that is what it was made for. In the book that you are to protect, the secret to building a chamber like this is written down. You will learn that I could not project myself to any other point in this valley. It is my intent to grant wings to the rest of the Krilo, but in order to do that, I will need them to come here, to the temple. It will be a process that will take several days. First you will have to lead them all here, and then I will perform my work each day until my strength is spent and then I will need to rest a day before I can return and grant wings to more of your people. If we had started the process even a week ago, the Varvarr would still have come to the temple before I could finish. So you see, you, the Lunar Centurions, had to fight. You had to stop the Varvarr so you could save your people.”
The dragon reached out and lightly touched a talon to his forehead. In a rush of images, his mind was enlightened and he did in fact understand. Interis Aruhat was right. The timing would not have worked any other way, not unless they had found the underground chamber weeks before, but even then that would have left the dwarves to fight on their own as the Varvarr quickly grew in numbers in the valley. This way, they were no longer an immediate threat.
“Thank you for helping me understand,” Kamal said as he wiped a tear from his face.
Interis Aruhat nodded once more. Then she looked back to the crystal. “Kamal, I will give you instructions for how to transport the crystal. Then, I will share information with you that will lead you to a special place where you will be safe. It is an island, far to the east of this continent, almost near the great reef’s edge, and secluded by tempestuous storms and treacherous waters. The Krilo will be sheltered there from the rest of the world. That is where you shall build the next shrine. You shall take the crystal there, and the book, and there you shall wait until I give further instructions.”
“And all of my people will be coming?” Kamal asked.
Interis Aruhat nodded. She touched his head again with her talon and showed him the way to a beautiful tropical island far away from this valley. It was a lush land with fruits of all kinds, and even a few flocks of wild sheep. The best part, was that it appeared unreachable by sea. The island was almost entirely lifted up on a high bluff, without any beaches to land on. Instead, there were only sheer cliffs surrounded by rocky outcroppings that would tear a ship apart. The only other way in was a small cave that led to an inner lagoon of sorts. From there, someone could make the climb to the top of the island, but that was something that the Lunar Centurions could easily fortify and defend, especially given their new ability to fly.
When the images were done pouring into his mind, Interis Aruhat smiled at him once more. He understood clearly now what was at stake, and why he had to defend the temple. Still, he wondered if he could avoid bloodshed. Having felt the pain of death when the Varvarr had slain the others a few days ago, he did not wish to inflict that pain upon others.
“Is there any way to avoid fighting?” Kamal asked.
Interis Aruhat nodded. “Get me a tablet of stone. I shall write a message in their language. You will place the message as a warning for them beyond the steps of the temple. If the Varvarr turn away, you will know that bloodshed may be avoided, but if they ignore the sign, you must destroy them.”
Kamal nodded. “I will do as you say.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It was another two days before any sign of the Varvarr was seen. Weys had been flying in the night, scouting the area when he noticed campfires lit along the hills about a mile north of the temple.
When he had seen them, he had used a telepathic relay set up by stationing other Krilo warriors at regular intervals between where he was and the temple to reach Kamal, as he was now their captain, as appointed by Interis Aruhat.
Kamal had then called all the Krilo warriors back to the temple for a final night of rest. As he stood in the doorway of the temple, staring off into the darkness and wondering what
the following day would bring, he was pleased to be surrounded with so many volunteers. All two hundred of them had taken the oath to become Lunar Centurions, and so all of them had been granted significantly larger and strengthened bodies as well as wings.
Kamal took the first watch, and then others took the second and third watch throughout the night just to be sure they were not caught by surprise. The secret underground chamber had also been closed by Kamal after the warriors had received their blessings and weapons, on the off chance that any Varvarr warrior could sneak past them through the temple. Upon their victory, he could reopen it by speaking the password once again.
When the morning came, the Varvarr were already marching toward the temple.
Kamal issued orders telepathically, and each of the Krilo warriors prepared for battle. He had learned enough from Reu to know that the element of surprise was often a great ally in battle, and so he kept himself and the others concealed in the temple for now, wanting to wait as long as possible before revealing themselves to the Varvarr. With any luck, they could fly out at the last moment and start a panic among the enemy fighters.
There were about two hundred and forty Varvarr warriors approaching. The numbers were nearly even, but Kamal didn’t want to underestimate his enemy, for the dwarves had sent four hundred out to meet them, and none had returned alive. Granted the dwarves had not had wings, nor a magical sword that could command lightning, but they had been heavily armored, and still not one of them survived. Moreover, Kamal could see that a large number of the warriors were wearing that same armor that the dwarves had used. It didn’t fit their tall bodies the way it should, but it would make for another layer of defense nonetheless.
As Kamal watched the Varvarr march toward the temple, he felt different than he had thought he would. All the time leading up to this moment after he had spoken with Interis Aruhat, he had been sure he would feel some degree of fear, but he didn’t. Instead, it was like a strange void of feeling, as if he was neither afraid, nor excited by what was about to take place. He watched the large warriors, many of them dressed with strange animal skins atop their heads, approach the stone table that Interis Aruhat had made.
One of the warriors, a large Varvarr with a gray wolf pelt on his head, approached the tablet and stared at it for a few moments. Then he ripped it from the ground and smashed it to pieces by slamming it down upon another rock.
There would be no peace.
The Varvarr had come to kill his people, and Kamal was going to stop them, but he didn’t harbor any hatred for them either, as he had the day he had been taken prisoner. He wondered if perhaps his clear head was another one of Interis Aruhat’s gifts. Perhaps she had bolstered his courage, and dampened his fear and anger to leave only a strong resolution to protect his people.
Whatever the answer was, he felt comfortable in his new role. He no longer had to question how his beliefs fit in with the Way of Wisdom. He was a separate, but related, class of Krilo now. He was free to live as his soul had always wanted, free of oppression, and free or the many rituals that consumed the lives of the Hetdieverbond. In fact, now that he was a separate class of Krilo, he could even eat meat if he wanted, without fear of the others chastising him for it. He was different, and different was good.
A surge of energy buzzed from his sword, Greis, calling upon him to focus his mind on the task at hand. He cleared his head of idle thoughts and watched the Varvarr. They were getting closer now, close enough that he backed away from the entrance to make sure they wouldn’t see him. He and the others waited. None of them would move until the Varvarr were as close to the front steps as possible, then they would attack.
*****
Halsten’s heart thumped within his chest when he laid his eyes on the temple. The large building in the center nearly matched what he had seen in his dream, but he had not seen the corridors branching out to either side to reach other sections of the temple. It was much larger than he had thought, and he nearly burned on the inside to rush in and claim it back for Akuhn, but he knew they had to be cautious. The dwarves were not the only race in the Sacred Valley. The Tarthun runner had spoken of other humans. As of yet, they had only encountered a few of them, but Halsten was certain there were more.
He ordered his warriors to halt when they were within a hundred yards of the entrance. He sent scouts in pairs off to the east and the west to check around the sides of the temple complex and make sure no enemies were waiting to flank them once they went inside.
While the scouts ran off, Halsten reached into the beaded pouch hanging from his belt and opened the flap. Inside, he carried Ingvar’s necklace of orc tusks, and a bear claw he had found among Samek’s belongings after his friend had succumbed to his wounds. He slipped the necklace over his head, letting the yellow and gray orc tusks hang over his chest. Then he took the bear claw and brought it to his lips and kissed it before dropping to his knees and praying to the Great Goddess Akuhn.
“Great and powerful Akuhn, we have arrived at your temple, just as I promised. Grant us your strength. Help us overthrow any defilers of your sacred temple and reclaim these lands for you and your people! Mighty is the wolf!”
The others nearby echoed the last sentence in unison. “Mighty is the wolf!”
Halsten then took his axe in his right hand and Samek’s hammer in his left and held them up over his head. “Mighty is the wolf!” Halsten shouted to the sky. “The teeth of the wolf shall tear my enemy at the throat! The claws of the wolf shall rip my enemy’s chest!”
The others repeated that phrase as well.
Then, Halsten did something he had not planned to do. Overcome with emotion at finding the temple, he sang the song he had made up several nights before at the altar with Samek. All of the other Varvarr warriors listened silently as Halsten sang the song. Then, as he finished, the scouts returned and gave their report that no enemies were flanking the temple.
Halsten didn’t offer a final war cry. He didn’t repeat the mantra of the Varvarr Bloodlust again. He silently marched forward, and his warriors followed him. There was no sign of movement around the temple. The morning was still and cool. There was no breeze. No animals in the grassy fields around them, and no enemies to be seen.
The young chief wondered if perhaps the humans were waiting inside, with cowardly traps like goblins would use, but even that possibility didn’t dissuade him from his course. He was here to win Akuhn’s temple back and regain his people’s honor. Nothing was going to stop him from that destiny now.
Then, as he set foot upon the first stair leading up to the great entrance, there was as it were an explosion of movement, and a burst of bodies came flying out of the temple. Great flashes of white sailed over the Varvarr’s heads as the creatures shouted and yelled with voices like a human. Halsten threw his hammer at one flying thing coming at him. The hammer spun through the air with extreme precision and caught the enemy in the face. It dropped from the air and crashed onto the steps, coming to a rest not more than two feet from him.
All of the other flying creatures screamed as the first one died, causing a great bit of confusion among Halsten’s warriors.
“What are they?” one of his men shouted.
“Shoot them!” one of the female warriors called out.
Halsten watched as the flying humans circled up into the air above the Varvarr. His warriors who had bows pulled them out and fired upon the enemy. It was amazing to watch. Just as a flock of sparrows might all turn and whirl through the air at the same time without any detectable signal, so did these flying warriors. They circled around and dodged all of the arrows fired at them. Never before had Halsten witnessed, or heard of, such strange creatures.
Now he could see why the Tarthuns had fled the temple, but he was no coward like they were. He would stay and fight, and so would his people.
A clash of thunder roared over the Varvarr’s and a streak of purple lightning shot down from the sky and struck a Varvarr warrior. The electricity then jump
ed from the first victim to a female warrior nearby. She shook violently as the energy blasted her to the ground before leaping to another suit of armor just three feet away and taking a third warrior’s life. Halsten looked up and saw a strange sword with purple energy coursing over it and then he understood what he was facing.
“The demons have magic!” he shouted to the others. Everyone inside the temple, inside now!” Halsten led the charge into the temple, hoping to gain the advantage by forcing the demons to fight upon the ground instead of the being able to attack from the air.
Unfortunately, several Varvarr were killed as the flying demons swooped down and attacked them while they ran for the temple. One Varvarr was lifted from the ground by her hair and then flung some twenty yards away to land on her head and snap her neck. Another was killed as a pair of winged demons dove down and struck him with their swords. Three more Varvarr would fall prey to the demons before one of the warriors would land a blow on one demon’s neck and kill it.
As before, all of the winged demons let out a terrible, pained scream and flew away from the battle for a moment, as if killing the other demon had somehow disoriented them. As the Varvarr rushed into the temple, Halsten used hand signals to position warriors with bows to either side of the door, and several more in the center of the chamber.
“Wait until they are inside the temple and walking on their feet, then fire at them,” Halsten ordered. He looked around at the others and tried to have them spread out as much as possible, some going into the corridors on either side of the chamber to make sure no other demons were waiting inside to surprise them.