Realms of Valen
Dragon in the Dark
War of the Gods: Volume I
by Rickk Berry III
©2015 by Rickk Berry III
All Rights Reserved
Dragon in the Dark and Realms of Valen logos and typeface design
by Rikk Berry
Cover background art
by Samantha Kross
Edited
by Lisa Marling, Ph.D.
Cover model
Cricket Reece
I just want to take a moment and thank
everyone who showed their support
and, in some cases, lent their considerable
talents to me during this adventure.
Here's to you. Let us hope that
this is only the beginning of the journey.
Chapter One: Reunion
The Graveside Inn and Tavern was a dimly lighted, smoky place like one might expect of an establishment that carried such a name. It was a less than reputable haven for anyone with the coin to pay for their room and food. Stories flowed freely because no one here was a friend of any known authorities. Gold, silver, steel, and jewels held the ultimate sway. The inn's patrons often dealt in information. What someone knew could be bought as easily as ale.
The large room was filled with the low murmur of conversation, the occasional drunken laugh, and the sound of coins clinking on the bar top as mugs were refilled. The scent of spiced stew wafted out of the kitchen in the back and mingled with the smell of wood smoke, creating a heavy perfume that was generally sickening to the high born, but was the distinct fragrance of home to those of dirtier blood.
Sitting at the far end of the bar was a young woman, wrapped in a dark cloak, hood thrown back to reveal her beauty. Dark shoulder length, brown hair tied back in a ponytail; her bangs framed her face. Hidden just under those bangs was a small scar in front of her left temple that cut into her left eyebrow, giving the woman a distinctive appearance. Her eyes weren't the wide, innocent eyes of so many young people who strapped on a sword and dreamed of the life of a mercenary. Her eyes were intelligent, calculating, and haunted. She had seen war, blood, and death. Not only had she seen it, she had actively participated and continued to go back for more.
No one here knew Nadia Valengaard, and the young warrior was content with that as she sat staring into her half empty mug, her mind drifting back to the past - four years prior.
* * *
A warlord had risen to power in a neighboring country and gone on a march to conquer the known world. Adathir had been his name. His march had stopped in the rocky fields outside of Vortha, the city that Nadia claimed as her home. She had been born and raised there, along with her older sister, Kaidia. They were daughters of the Lord and Lady of the city, children of nobility. Their parents, Boreth and Syren, were legendary as a warrior and a mage in their own right, and the two daughters seemed destined to carry on the family tradition, being gifted with both sword and sorcery.
Adathir's army had marched on Vortha in the dead of night. Watchful sentries on the battlements of the city walls had spotted the torches of the marching soldiers and sounded the alarm. City guards and mercenary warriors, alike, responded and marched through the city streets, out the main gates of the city, and onto the fields to meet the army that threatened their home.
Nadia remembered marching out to fight. Her father, sister, and her sister's wife had all been at her side. The battle had been long and arduous. By the time the sun had brightened the sky several thousand soldiers lay dead in the grass or against the rock outcroppings that occupied the field. More bodies littered the field than those left standing and the commanders of both sides called a halt to combat. Even with Adathir's army, it seemed the rules of engagement applied and mutual respect was shown to one's enemy.
Splattered with blood and weary from hours of fighting, the two armies had parted and camped across the field from one another to eat and rest. It was during this period of peace in the midst of war that a tragedy had struck, brought about unforeseeable circumstances, and irrevocably altered lives.
Kaidia had been sitting on a rock near one of the cooking fires. Her wife, Ashlin, had taken to sitting at Kaidia's side. The two had been friends since they were children. They were the same age and had spent most of their lives together. They'd just married the previous spring and were very much in love. It was obvious when one looked at them. Even now, in the midst of bloody conflict, Ash and Kai were nuzzling and kissing one another. Nadia had considered Ashlin her sibling since a young age, since Kai and Ash had always played protectors to Nadia.
Across the fire from Kaidia and Ashlin sat Boreth and Nadia. They had all been eating salted pork and drinking water, brought to them by servants and non-warrior citizens of the city. A call had arisen from the other side of the field, from the camp of Adathir's army. Nadia remembered the shout of "Valengaard!" that had rang out. Kaidia, Boreth, Ashlin and Nadia had all immediately stood.
An arrow whistled past Nadia's head, past Boreth, headed for Kaidia. The warrior managed to jerk out of its way. Ashlin, standing behind Kaidia, tried to dodge as well. She wasn't so lucky. The arrow had struck the woman in the shoulder. It could have been worse and it immediately became just that. Ash had buckled and fallen backward onto the grass, clutching her shoulder in obvious pain. A deathly pale stole over the woman and she trembled. Kaidia immediately dove to her wife's side, cradling the woman's head in her lap.
Kaidia had then yanked the arrow out, tossed it aside, and tried to heal the wound. While the warrior's specialty was offensive, destructive magic, she was competent at healing wounds. However, the skin didn't knit back together. The blood kept seeping out and Ash kept growing colder. It was a shoulder wound, this shouldn't have been happening. Kai had looked up with desperate, pained confusion, searching the faces of her sister and father for an answer, as her wife bled and shuddered with pain.
The arrow had been enchanted. Ashlin couldn't be saved. She was going to die. Nadia knew it, Boreth knew it, Ashlin knew it, and in spite of her desperate denial, Kaidia knew it as well. There had been a whisper from Ash, and Kaidia had bent nearer, tears sliding down her cheeks. A shaking hand reached up, fingers slipping over the back of Kai's neck, and that hand had drawn the weeping warrior down to its owner. The two had kissed deeply, lovingly, each knowing this was the last time either would feel their lover's lips against their own.
Nadia had to look away then. A flash of light brighter than the sun had flared out from Kaidia and Ashlin, blinding just about everyone on the field. Then it was as if all of the sound had been wiped from existence, only to be violently reintroduced as a shockwave of sheer, oppressive power that had roared out from Kaidia, knocking everyone within several hundred feet to the ground, including Nadia. The light got brighter and Nadia could see it even though she had closed her eyes. The air grew heavier and Nadia heard Kaidia scream. Chills had run through the woman's blood at hearing her sister scream like she did. It was an anguished, tortured scream. Then it had changed, morphed into a hellish, thundering roar. When it died away, the light died with it, and everyone started to look around, blinking their eyes until they adjusted. The younger Valengaard sister looked toward her sibling only to see Kaidia standing over empty armor which Ashlin had worn moments before.
The elder sister bent down, picked up Ashlin's sword and buckled it onto the opposite hip of her own sword. Warriors from both sides of the field were getting up and brushing themselves off, looking fairly bewildered. Kaidia started walking forward and Nadia could still remember the power emanating f
rom her sister as the taller woman had walked past. Vortha's troops stepped aside to let the woman pass. Adathir's soldiers gathered and formed ranks to stop her. The look on Kaidia's face was one of calm but enraged determination.
Adathir's front line broke formation and charged Kaidia. The slaughter that resulted surprised everyone. To most of those watching, Kai moved so quickly she blurred, striking down scores of soldiers in seconds. Within a few minutes, most of what remained of Adathir's army was lying dead on the ground, the rest was retreating in a full out run.
This turn of events left Adathir facing down the might of Vortha's army himself. His luck wasn't quite that bad though. None of Vortha's troops seemed inclined to get between Kai and Adathir. Nadia remembered the fight between her sister and the warlord. It lasted for only a few minutes, but those few minutes were utterly terrifying. The power and speed that Adathir and Kaidia displayed were unthinkable. Nadia and everyone else had just stared in awe. The final clash between the two warring titans was the most horrid of them all.
The two had come together, swords clashing, magical energy whirling around the two like a tornado. Fire and lightning whipped around the two in a godly display of power, ripping up the ground around them, and sending chunks of earth and rock flying out into the surrounding landscape. Then in one moment, it all stopped. Adathir applied more pressure, more power, trying to shove Kai back and Kai simply vanished. The warlord stumbled forward, recovered, and turned around just in time to have his head severed from his body by Kaidia's blade. Just like that, the battle had been over.
Nadia remembered Kai setting the head and body of Adathir ablaze with a gesture of her hand before sheathing her sword, Ashlin's still at her opposite hip, and walking off, away from Vortha.
* * *
Nadia shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. She gently sighed. Aside from a quick visit a couple of years ago, where she had hardly spent any time with her sister, Nadia hadn't seen Kaidia since that battle four years prior. Now, here she was, looking for her elder sibling in a small, dangerous city inhabited by mercenaries at best, and criminals at worst.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a full mug of ale bumping the empty one in her hand. Nadia didn't remember drinking the ale that she'd had, but when one's mind wanders, certain things just don't register. She glanced up to the grizzled old man behind the counter who gave her a nod and a faint smirk. She smiled a moment, dropped a steel coin on the table, and then crooked her finger at him. The man quirked a brow and stepped closer, leaning over the bar. He might have seen quite a few winters, but most would still think twice about tangling with the big man. However, he was known by the locals to be a lot nicer than his scarred visage would lead one to believe.
"What is it, lass?" he asked.
"I need to know some things." Nadia responded with a warm smile.
"Information costs around here. Even for pretty girls with winning smiles," the man replied. Nadia smiled again at the compliment, then reached into her cloak and slipped a gold coin from somewhere within. She dropped it on the bar next to the steel coin she'd set down just a few moments before. The bartender's brows rose. "Eroth, at your service, M'Lady," he said with a light chuckle. He got another of those smiles in return.
"I am looking for someone. A woman. Tall and strong like the amazons of the deep south. She has short-ish black hair, blue eyes, and a tribal tattoo that covers her entire right arm. She's a swordswoman, a mercenary. I heard that she was in this area." Nadia explained.
“Been searching for awhile?” Eroth inquired.
“A year, roughly,” Nadia answered.
“You look rather worn out,” the old man stated.
“I am. Do you know who I'm searching for? Perhaps seen her around?” Nadia questioned.
"I know who you are speaking of, lass. You're looking for the one folks around here call the Dead Watcher. Lives down by the graveyard. Straight down the road from here. When you leave here, turn left, and keep walking. There aren't any houses down there. It'll be the only set of doors around with torches by 'em." He said, hands gesturing in the general direction. The young woman gave a confused look but decided not to ask what Kaidia might be living in if there weren't any houses around in that part of town. She would find out soon enough anyway.
"I see. Do they call her Dead Watcher because she lives by a graveyard?" Nadia asked.
"Partly, yes. Partly because we used to have an undead problem and she took care of the whole mess. She now keeps an eye on the tombs and graves." Eroth explained.
"I see," the girl said with a bit of a smile.
"She is a nice enough lass, but likes to keep to herself. Her servant comes into town to pick up supplies and the like about once a month. The Watcher herself comes into town every three months or so." He picked up the gold coin and looked it over as he spoke.
"Well, I suppose I shall go say hello to her," Nadia said, downing her mug of ale and sliding off her bar stool to stand.
"Would you do an old man a favor, M'Lady?" Eroth asked while pocketing both the gold and steel coins.
"What is it?" Nadia asked with a raised brow. Eroth raised a finger, telling the woman to wait without wasting his words, then turned and stepped into the store room in back. When he came back out, he was carrying a case of wine on his shoulder. He set it down on the bar.
"Wine. I assume you're visiting the Dead Watcher tonight, yes?" he asked, a knowing glint in his eyes.
"That was my intent, yes," the young woman replied.
"Well then, take this to her, lass," Eroth tapped the case with a friendly smile. Nadia couldn't help but return the smile as she picked up the case, putting it on her shoulder and holding it there with a hand. In doing so, she revealed the leather armor, pants, and boots she wore beneath the cloak, as well as her sword. The old bartender arched a brow at the ease with which she hefted the case. "Well now... aren't you a strong one?" he asked a bit rhetorically. The girl's cheeks colored. She might have been jaded when it came to blood and battle, but Nadia was still naive when it came to other things in life - the effect of her beauty being one of them.
"Lots of combat training and a few battles, Mister Eroth," she replied. He nodded. Nadia gave a wave and headed out into the night.
* * *
The walk along the dirt path that served as the main road through town was uneventful. Nadia passed homes with sconces and lanterns mounted by their doors, lighting front stoops for anyone coming home late. Then the young woman passed into a darker area, past the edge of the town, and the road started to slope gently down. There were open fields on both sides of her. A cool, gentle wind flowed from one side of the road to the other, setting Nadia's cloak to fluttering. It only took a minute or so to reach the graveyards that stood on either side of the road. Tombs and cairns rested beyond the graves on the right side. On the left side, there was a single tomb. Torches lit doors made of a silvery metal, likely steel treated to resist rusting. Nadia paused and looked around.
"Surely that can't be it," she said to herself, but it was just as old Eroth had said, those torches were the only ones in sight. It was a tomb. The doors were built into a little hill. Where they led was underground. Despite her disbelief that anyone would choose to live in a tomb, Nadia approached the doors. She reached out her free hand and pressed her palm to the door. She felt a moment of intense exhilaration and jerked her hand back, tingling. The wine toting warrior pressed her palm to the door again and both of them slid quietly open.
"Yeah, that's not eerie," she said to herself as she stepped inside. Nadia glanced around. She was at the top of a walkway that slanted downward and curved around a bend. There were candles in wall sconces on either side of the hallway. They were spaced every few feet to light the way. The young warrior started walking. Nadia was keenly aware that she was venturing rather deep underground. The passage was plain to the point of being boring. It was bad enough that Nadia actually smiled when she saw a brighter light shining around the constan
t curve of the passage. She was nearing the end of it. When she rounded the last bit of corner, the hall ended abruptly at a rather large chamber, but the young warrior wasn't looking into the chamber; she was a bit too preoccupied all of the sudden. Upon rounding the final bit of curve, she had found herself nose to nose with another woman.
The woman wore a pleasant smile. Her eyes were a rich golden color with slitted pupils. Upon taking a step back and making a quick assessment, Nadia noted a pair of feline ears sprouting from the woman's dark hair, and a long, lazily swishing black tail. She was a cat girl.
"I will take that," the woman said in a soft voice as she took the case of wine from Nadia's shoulder and turned to carry it further into the chamber. She set it on an empty table that sat against a wall just inside.
"You're a... um... I forget," Nadia said it a bit sheepishly, eyeing the feline woman.
"Yes, I'm a kyrian. My name is Sae-Mirra," she said with a smile. Kyrians were cat people. They were fierce warriors and were native to the southern jungle countries. They all looked mostly human aside from the feline ears, tail, eyes, and nails on both hands and feet that could instantly extend into claws.
"My name is Nadia," the young woman said with a faint, but pleasant smile.
"I know. You smell like Miss Kaidia. I assumed you were her sister. You are the correct age and build. You look similar. She's taller. She's also stronger, but she's constantly taking jobs and I am betting that you are just starting out on your career as a mercenary following in your sibling's footsteps," Sae-Mirra said with a mildly self-assured tone. It gave Nadia a moment of pause before she chuckled.
"Yep, you're correct," she replied with a nod. Nadia had only been doing mercenary work for a few months. Her family name helped tremendously in that regard, at first. The Valengaard family was well known across the continent as a warrior family. Nadia's mother was a powerful mage and her father was a warlord. Both had earned nobility and their children had benefitted from that nobility. Both Kai and Nadia had gotten the best education and training that wealth and status could buy and the girls had also shown a knack for swords and magic in their early childhood. They were natural warriors and had managed to make a living out of it so far. The ability to wield magic and steel at once was rare. Though, unlike their mother, Nadia and Kaidia didn't have a mastery over every kind of magic. They could wield destructive magic with the best mages around, but neither knew much else. They could heal flesh wounds, but not poisons or diseases. Also, neither one of them knew much about defensive spells, not that they didn't create ways to use offensive magic in a defensive manner. One has to work with what one has, after all.
Realms of Valen - Dragon in the Dark (War of the Gods Book 1) Page 1