Brinks In Time:The Legend of Valendri's Relic

by Tom Rogal

  Vindar pulled out the flute from under his robe and replied, “I never leave home without it.”

  Lindaris commented, “You mean you’ve had that underneath your robe this whole time? Kind of scared to find out what else might be in there.”

  The group laughed as Condarin patted him on the shoulder, trying to heal the slight bruise of ego. Dyenarus finally continued.

  “Can you play for me ‘Shadow over Hrithgorn’?”

  Vindar began to play a melodious introduction while the other students waited attentively. Neeza was very curious as well. He had not personally heard the song, but then again it was one bards only told. He was not one to go to taverns and bards were very discouraged from coming to the capital. Nesseis, on the other hand, was frequented by them. Everyone sat quietly as they listened to Dyenarus sing the tale:

  In time of fear, an island bore was surreal

  Islands of fire, through the sea and mire

  Through the brush and the thorn, born Mount Hrithgorn

  The elves they did came, seeking more to tame.

  Losing their home, with no place they were alone

  Finding through these shores, a new place of elvish lores

  No more fears or distress, a new impenetrable fortress.

  Through the First Golden Age, the enemy came

  Bearing teeth and steel, the elves’ fate they came to seal.

  They fought and they rallied, the fortress did bleed

  In the end the foes gone, on the shores of Hrithgorn.

  Attack they did more, on the bloody shore.

  Four years of tear, no end seemingly near.

  From the forsaken halls, to the Gate of Huiilumal,

  The Ettui sworn, to take the keep of Hrithgorn.

  In the Year of the Beast, when hope seemed its least,

  The elves turned the tide, the enemy nowhere to hide.

  Smoke and fire filled the land, turning their foes into sand,

  Defend itself til it was lorn, fought the Mount of Hrithgorn.

  After years of peace, it began to cease.

  A plague sent from stone, arose the coffin’s drone

  And like lights in the sea, the elves disappeared, a mystery.

  And now they are all gone, consumed by the Shadow over Hrithgorn.

  All the students clapped, whistling their approval. Even Neeza had to applaud. She had a lovely singing voice! It reminded him of Divi’s. She was a great singer too, when she felt inspired to do it. Sadly, it had become more and more infrequent.

  Biverin continued, “So, basically this used to be an elf stronghold and the people disappeared. Other than that, what's the mystery?”

  Vindar interrupted, “Not just any elf stronghold. This used to be the elf stronghold. Way before Fort Za ever received the reputation it has now. It was established to keep defense of the Wood Elves' territory. A large battle was fought here by the Ettui, but the elves were victorious. Ironically, that's when things began falling apart.”

  “What kind of things?”

  Joakon explained, “People went missing. Talks of a whispering shadow that would call to them when they slept. It has been said that perhaps this land was once owned by an Eratuu god and the giant battle displeased him, so he cursed the land.”

  Neeza’s ears perked up when he heard about whispering shadows. That definitely fitted with the current situation. However, if that was true, why would it be calling to sailors who just happened to sail by with no intention of landing on her shores? And he didn’t believe that an Eratuu god existed.

  Biverin continued, “The line that intrigued me was the one about the plague sent from stone, something from the coffin’s drone. What does it mean?”

  Dyenarus tossed some small wood on the fire as she answered, “That line is the greatest mystery of the song. The plague suggests to what possibly killed the settlers and the defenders of Mount Hrithgorn, but it's all speculation. No one knows what the coffin line means.”

  “I find it interesting how the song makes no mention of the natives,” added Gerran.

  “Natives?” asked Biverin.

  Dyenarus commented, “Oh, don’t fill his head with that rubbish.”

  Neeza was amazed it took this long for them to even be mentioned. He didn’t truly believe they existed based on the legends. But he hasn’t always been right about everything. When it came to them, he hoped by the gods he was right.

  Condarin explained, “They came during the chaos after the Battle of Simorgon. Giants sprouting from the mountain. They were told to be strong, tough, and faceless. Their ruthlessness was legendary. They are supposed to give horror a new name. We call them the Garchai.”

  Biverin asked, “What does that mean?”

  Lindaris finally contributed saying, “It's old Myyrilius. Means ‘unholy ones’.”

  “They’re nothing more than legends. There’s been no proof that they existed. Even the elves don’t recognize them in their versions of the story,” added Joakon.

  Condarin said, “I’ve always believed. Elves are tough to take down. What else could have wiped them out so suddenly? Their race is super resilient to diseases, so I find it hard to believe a plague could have made them disappear.”

  Lindaris began to laugh as the entire group gave an uneasy stare. Neeza saw lots of good qualities in him, but there were also many bad ones . . . ones he would need to grow out of if he wanted to complete his potential. He didn’t mind his lone wolf persona. That was a common trait amongst students of the Black Magic School. What he didn’t want was for him to put down the group, whether he was better than them or not.

  He finally said, “Listen to what you're saying! Legends this and legends that. I’m really hoping the Garchai are real. Pray to the gods, give us some action.”

  Great. Not only was he cocky, but it seemed like he had something to prove as well. Although that has led people to do many great things, more times than not, it led to the person’s destruction. Time for him to intercede.

  Neeza cautioned, “Never pray to put you or your team in danger. I don’t know if the Garchai exist or existed at one time. I do know one thing: We would find ourselves fortunate if we don’t run into any resistance until we reach the Relic. I would get some sleep soon. I would like to reach the shores so we can begin finding a better spot for Mimerck to dock.”

  All the students could feel it. There was something he wasn’t telling them. Since they arrived, they could feel a combination of excitement and uneasiness, throwing a major pinch of nervousness in the mix as well. Was there someone else going after the relic that he knew? Would he tell them at all?

  Dyenarus stood up and walked to Neeza, who looked over his shoulder to face her. “I know there is another reason you’re here. I also know it’s most likely none of our business. Just promise me that if there is something that could put our lives in danger, you’ll be open with us.”

  Neeza smiled and said, “Of course.”

  4

  They continued on early, just as Neeza had hoped. The good news was the ground was more level where they were. At least the uphill climbing was over. The only place they had to go was down. The area was full of life and heavily forested for most of the morning journey. As they moved further north, the density of the forest lessened, but the sun was still covered by the shade of the leaves.

  As they moved out of the coolness of the thick woods, it became more humid. Which was most unfortunate. If it got much worse, they would need to stop and find a place to cool down. The last thing they needed was to have a bunch of overheating mages. He looked at Haldirin, who was thinking the same.

  “Students! Take a seat. We should rest and try to keep cool.”

  Vindar sighed in relief, “Thank the gods! It is hot out here!”

  Lindaris, despite sweating heavily himself, commented, “Don’t be a wuss.”

  “All right, we’re all feeling the effects of the heat. Find a shady spot, get something to eat, and relax,” reprimanded Haldirin.r />
  Everyone found spots in a relatively shadier area except for Condarin, who brought up the rear. Being the youngest of the group, she probably had never experienced what heat exhaustion was like. At least this was not too bad. In his time, Neeza had felt a lot worse. He nearly had died a few of those times. She would get over it.

  Joakon asked, “So how much farther do we have to go? The islands didn’t look that big when we were sailing to them.”

  Gerran replied, “Well, I would say ten miles. The terrain is jagged and we’ve had to double back a few times, so it has slowed our progress a lot. Plus, this is the largest island in the chain next to Mount Hrithgorn.”

  Biverin cast a small water spell toward his face, cooling his warm skin instantly. As a farmer, he was probably the best equipped in this situation besides Neeza. The long hours in the sun to do his job probably prepared him the most to the heat. Dyenarus, who saw what he was doing, requested a douse, which he gave unquestioningly. As she wiped the water over her face, she walked over to Neeza, who was discussing their next direction.

  “Honorab . . . I’m sorry, Neeza, Haldirin. Can I ask you both something?”

  Haldirin replied, “Of course.”

  Dyenarus continued, “It has to do with the magical usage of mages and how it affects the use of the forbidden Dark Magic. It’s my thesis. I was told that you would be the only person who might know much about the subject. My thesis is reliant on it.”

  Haldirin added, “Odd subject for any one of the Schools.”

  She agreed, “Indeed. But I found out that Dark Magic originated from a teacher in Illusions, so there must be some kind of connection to our two schools. Granted that doesn’t mean I want to learn it, it’s just become an interest.”

  Nor should she ever want to learn Dark Magic. It was made forbidden because of the simple reason it was so dangerous. Most mages who learned it never reached their 200th name day. Was it a powerful brand of magic? Oh yes, frighteningly powerful. To have so much power, came with a price. Since they were forced to move to the mainland those thousands of year ago, he had not seen Dark Magic cast. Although, he knew there were tiny cults hiding on Myyrilian lands that still practiced it.

  Neeza replied, “I would be more than happy to share with you what I know. I do hope it will be enough for a thesis. There isn’t much.”

  Dyenarus’ eyes lit up, and she replied, “Anything would help! Thank you, Neeza! I really . . .”

  Her sentence was interrupted by a female scream. As Dyenarus was with them, there was only one person it could be.

  Haldirin softly said, “Condarin.”

  Everyone rushed toward the screaming. Vindar was panicking, calling out her name and telling her he was coming for her. It was coming from behind a thick brush, which Vindar cleared first. He found her on the ground crying profusely. He bent down to comfort her.

  “Its okay, Condarin. I’m here for you. What’s the matter?”

  She didn’t speak. She just pointed. As Vindar looked to where she was pointing, he stood and stared with horror, “By the gods!”

  The others crashed through the bush to check on her condition. But even their concerns were stymied at the sight in front of them. As Neeza and Haldirin stepped through, what they saw engulfed them with surprise and fear. On yellowish rods that served as spikes, heads were impaled at the tip of them. The one closest was only about five feet tall. The rest were on metal at least twenty feet high, all with a head impaled on them. The spinal cords hung lifelessly from two of the heads. Flies hovered over the decaying flesh.

  Biverin said, “Please tell me those heads are fake.”

  Lindaris added, “Don’t bet your life on it. I wish the smell was fake, though.”

  Haldirin stepped forward and began to examine the shortest impaled head. He had been an assistant to their local medical physician, Frari, for many years, so the sight of such things didn't make him queasy. Still, it was never easy tending to any part of the dead.

  “What do you think?” asked Neeza.

  Haldirin examined, “Definitely human. Based off the decay, these look to be seven days old. All of them. The cuts were clean, so it took only one shot to do the deed. Those two with their spines attached met a far more painful end.”

  Damn. Others were coming. The people had arrived there only a couple days before they did. Then again, they could have been survivors from one of the shipwrecks, trying to find salvation on the island.

  Gerran suggested, “Perhaps there were two competing parties here for the Relic and this group lost.”

  Lindaris commented, “Don’t be dumb. Another group going after it wouldn’t have went through all this trouble. The people that did this live on this island. These are their trophies.”

  Vindar and Condarin arrived at the same conclusions, and being they were the only two to really believe in the Garchai at last night’s campfire, it was doubly horrifying.

  Condarin muttered, “Then it’s true. They are real. The Garchai. They are real! By the gods, they are real!”

  She began to cry again as Vindar returned to trying to comfort her. Haldirin stepped back to get a view of the larger scene.

  “I wouldn’t jump to conclusions, but I am curious about how they got them this high. The metal stakes are too heavy for normal men to lift, even if you had a hundred of them. Whatever did this is large,” stated Haldirin.

  Although he agreed with his messenger, he wasn’t seeing the big picture of this situation.

  Neeza finally clarified, “I don’t know if this is the work of the Garchai or not. One thing we know for certain we’re not alone on this island.”

  Travel for most of the afternoon went slowly, more cautiously. The realization that there was something out there, potentially fitting the description of the Garchai, hit the students hard. Up to this point, they had it easy. But with the forest of heads they encountered, they now knew the seriousness of where they were. Condarin and Vindar were the most quiet. Neeza worried about them most because mages, with their personalities, tended to freeze up in the beginning on decisive decisions. One lapse like that could mean none of them would be going home.

  It was evident the way everyone was moving that they were tired, but no one wanted to stop. If they did, whoever lived there had extra time to find them. As night fell, there was no fire, no laughing. It made for a tense and uneasy feeling that caused most of them to lay the night awake with fear.

  Neeza and Haldirin watched from a short distance. They saw what was happening. Yet, neither knew the best way to handle it. A teacher like Sydis or of that ilk would know. Neeza played the role of teacher a long, long time ago. However, as he was considered too strict, his student was pulled from him. It was the leading factor driving him to his current life in politics when he befriended Myyril’s previous leader.

  “We are in a real bind here.”

  Neeza turned to Haldirin. He had lost himself once again dwelling on the past. He needed to maintain focus too. His mind was starting to wander more than he would care to want.

  He replied, “Indeed. If the students will not fight, it will make this mission more difficult.”

  “More difficult? Neeza, it would be impossible! I will help you as much as I can, but you know as well as I, we need them. If they are unwilling to face the situation put before them, we must turn back.”

  He shook his head and looked at the ground. Things were not looking good, that much was true. The odds were always against them. But unlike everyone else, the options were different for him.

  “It seems like an easy decision, doesn’t it? Pack our things and leave this place behind. It is an option you all have, but not me. Mount Hrithgorn holds a treasure that I need; one that I am willing to risk my life for. If I must do it alone, then so be it. But I cannot leave. I wouldn’t be able to live my last days not knowing what could have been. I’m sorry, Haldirin, but I am staying.”

  Neeza walked off toward his makeshift bedding as Haldirin looked toward the mou
ntain. As much as he didn’t want to go, he was not going to let Neeza go alone. He owed more to the Myyrilian leader than just his life. He was not going to break his oath. He shared Neeza’s fate. Giving a heavy sigh, he began to head for his bed. Little did they know, the student closest, Dyenarus, was wide awake, hearing every word they had said.

  What a difference a night made. When they awoke, the students were already up and ready to go. They didn’t say a word. They didn’t flash a defiant or relentless eye. It was almost as if they all accepted they were there. Whatever the reason, he was happy for it. At least he would not be alone in his fight for the Relic.

  They made their way more north, thankfully moving downhill with every mile. There they could survey the inside part of the sea surrounding Mount Hrithgorn and relay the info to Mimerck. He wondered what the sea captain was up to. It had to be boring staying on the ship this whole time. Then again, he already had Lindaris complaining how they'd seen no action yet. He could imagine their captain being much worse.

  As they reached a clearing, Neeza felt something was odd. A small, yet recognizable magical presence. Still, in that place, he didn’t trust anything that wasn’t their own.

  “Stay close everyone!”

  “What is that?” questioned Biverin.

  The group looked west toward a shiny object in the distance. Should they have just looked the other way and continued their journey? That would have been the wiser thing to do, but all mages were naturally curious about everything. An unidentifiable shiny object in the distance certainly fell in that category. Neeza knew this, but he was still unable to control the urge to check it out. It might be important, after all.

  As they crept closer, all the students could see what looked to be a yellowish shield, and beautifully designed. He knew the designs well.

  Neeza analyzed, “It’s an elvish shield. That explains the magical presence.”