Deathsworn Arc: 01 - The Last Dragon Slayer

by Martyn Stanley

  Saul turned to her, “I know, I’ve heard much about the prowess of the elves with blade and spell... My only real question is what an elf is doing in Torea anyway?”

  Vashni shrugged, “Call it boredom... Centuries sitting studying, philosophizing, composing music and creating works of art... Tis fun for a while, but a life without risk is not a life, it is an existence... Of course father would never agree with me on these matters.”

  Saul raised an eyebrow, “Centuries? How old are you?”

  She smiled wryly, “Well... That would be telling wouldn’t it? I shall tell you my name - ‘Vashni’, but I will field no further personal questions. It is my blade and my voice that your coin is buying, not the right to my personal history wizard.”

  The seven riders crunched along the pathless floor of the forest. Saul led the way, they were headed north towards the Sky-Cleaver Mountains and in this wild part of the Empire, after having upset the Berger of Trest, avoiding the roads seemed like a sensibly high priority. They didn’t stop for food either, each rider simply reaching into their saddlebags for sustenance as they trotted along.

  Despite their grim task and the fact that the composition of their party would be sure to cause friction - the mood was light. The sky was clear, and though it wasn’t warm, the air was pleasant. Occasionally birds could be heard singing in the trees.

  As the afternoon drew on Saul decided to challenge the dark elf on why he’d been banished. He slowed his horse to drop back level with Brael of Krazic, “Gravian... You have not yet told us why exactly you were banished?”

  Brael eyed him suspiciously, “That is a very astute observation wizard... I have not...”

  “Will you tell me?”

  “I don’t believe it is important... It will not help you to lift my curse, knowing the reason it was bestowed upon me.”

  Saul sighed,”Oh I don’t know, if you were banished and cursed unjustly maybe I would feel more determined to find a way of assisting you?”

  Brael leaned towards him, “I can fight... But if I could wield magic, I would be a formidable ally... That is all you need to know.”

  Saul rode in silence for a few minutes, deep in thought, “Brael, wha-”

  “I could lie to you, tell you I was framed for a crime I did not commit, or say that the leader of another house simply decided they wanted rid of me, so arranged it... But I will not lie to you. Whether my punishment is just or not, that would be a matter of opinion - though I’ve committed no crime.”

  “What then?”

  “Hah! I will tell you this, I revealed the findings of my arcane studies... Findings which... Hmmm, which, changed things... And which some people did not like... No, that’s not true... Which nobody liked.”

  Saul rode in silence for a moment, pondering what great, world changing discovery this rather pathetic looking creature could have made... He could think of none, “What exactly did you discover Brael, that tore the underdeep apart?”

  Brael formed a wry smile on lips then looked Saul Karza in the eye, “Simple, I discovered the ‘truth’ the ultimate truth... And I managed, through arcane means - to prove without question, the answer.”

  “What ‘truth’ ?”

  Brael rode along deep in thought, eventually, he sighed deeply and looked kindly at Saul, “Wizard, the truth changes everything... All our notions of death, existence, honour, purpose of being... It is dangerous - the world is not ready for ‘the truth’”

  Saul’s curiosity was peaked even further, he was becoming determined to know what the truth was exactly, and how it ‘changed things’ he raised an eyebrow to Brael, “I am a learned man, I suspect I could handle whatever world changing truth you have to impart - why don’t you tell me?”

  Brael shrugged, “You may be ready, but I doubt it - even if you were ready, who is to say this didn’t get spread further? The revealing of the truth to overlanders would cause wars, death, destruction... It would tear this world apart as it has the underdeep... Besides, part of the curse laid upon me prevents me from revealing ‘the truth’, so alas, even if I deemed you ready and wanted to tell you - I could not.”

  Saul sighed, defeated, “Very well gravian, I will press you no further on this matter until such a time has arisen that your curse has been lifted - perhaps the elf - ”

  “I have already asked her - she cannot decipher the power word, not from in the saddle - when we dismount she said she will have another attempt.”

  Elsewhere in the group Silus was grumbling to Harald about the composition of their party, “I should never have joined you on this foolish quest.”

  Harald studied the grizzled veteran for a moment, “We are glad that you did, I’m sure your...”

  “Hah! Now we don’t just have a dwarf and a gravian in the party - we have an elf too... We’re all as surely doomed as we could possibly be.”

  “I doubt that, dragon slayer, the stronger the party we have, surely the better chance we have of surviving this encounter?”

  Silus scowled at him, “That’s easy for you to say... Trusting fool... They’re not human...”

  Harald screwed his face up at this, “That may be an asset Silus, the Berger of Trest was a human, and he is neither a person I would aspire to emulate, nor a person I would desire as a comrade.”

  “Hmmph! You say that... Your thick skulled friend’s bold rescue appears to have only created trouble for our party, we are no longer welcome in Trest - once news gets out we might find other towns in this region are hostile to us or worse... Then of course we’ve acquired a back-stabbing gravian in our ranks and and an elf to boot... One of the bloody fair folk...”

  “Sometimes we have to take risks and endure hardship if we are stand up for what we believe is right...”

  Silus smirked, “And why is that? Because of some ancient tradition, fear of Ishar’s wrath or the simple hope of reserving a seat in Kirkfell, the banqueting hall of the dead? Ultimately, the elf, loathe as I am to admit it is the only one here who seems to have her head screwed on. She is a thief and a mercenary; she looks out for herself, without thought for others. That is something you have to admire in her, clearly - whatever you think about elves, she has worked it out...”

  Harald glared at him, “Cynic! No battles would ever have been won were all men as bold as you.”

  Silus seemed to be amused by this, he chuckled softly, “Oh that’s rich barbarian, that’s very rich... You are criticizing my point of view - yet if all men on both sides of a battle took the viewpoint to look after themself first - none would fight at all and no lives would be lost.... Wouldn’t that be terrible, not to enjoy the surreal experience of picking your way across a battlefield, nursing your wounds and watching the crows peck out the eyes of your fallen comrades, while peasants rifle the dead’s pockets... You truly are a barbarian if that is a reality you wish to preserve Harald son of Korvak.”

  The image brought back faded but bitter memories and made Harald wince, he formed a haunted look on his face, “You speak the truth Mendelson, war is not a pleasant endeavour - nay neither is dragon slaying, for all we know one of us or none of us may return from this battle... But men have to stand against tyranny in whatever form it takes, for to stand by and allow the world to change for the worse without challenging that change is to be as lifeless as a rock, a chunk of granite. One day maybe all our wars will have been fought - until such time, we fight for what we believe is just.”

  Silus chuckled, “Maybe you are right barbarian, maybe we should all throw down our lives for a seat in Kirkfell, the banqueting hall of the dead, at Ishar’s side...”

  The companions rode on through the forest. Luckily the Berger of Trest and his soldiers did not catch up with them. In truth the Berger had been left so confounded by the power words whispered to him by the elf, that Trest was in disarray. The Bergers resident mage had been found wandering the wilderness by the retreating soldiers, again baffled and confused, by the power words whispered in his ear by the elf Vashni. />
  The sun rose high in the sky, lunchtime passed barely noticed. The companions ate and drank in the saddle and continued to trot along, trying to put as much distance between them and Trest.

  By the time the sun was starting to set overhead the horses were tired and the attempts at conversation had long run dry, though most of the riders were deep in thought, in many cases about their comrades. Saul was going over possibilities regarding the findings of the dark elf and the origins of the elf. Korhan of course could think only of Vashni, partly thoughts about her mysterious origins and partly thoughts about the possibility of what the future for might hold for him regarding her. He found himself desiring her, but at the same time questioning the logic in doing so. When he’d kissed her it had felt strange, she had a different scent to a human woman, foreign, almost alien. She was old too, he couldn’t guess how old she was, but if rumours were true, her appearance as a young adult meant she was probably at least a century old if not many times this. Despite the obvious folly in doing so, Korhan found himself unable to resist, finding her alluring and desirable.

  In truth most of the party were thankful for the lull in conversation and the opportunity to reflect on the events of the day. Votrex, was unsettled by the presence of the gravian and the elf. The only real consolation was that the friction within the group took their minds off the dangerous task they were setting out to do.

  As the shadows grew longer and the darkness drew in, Saul told the group they would look for a suitable place to camp for the night. After riding a little longer they found a clearing with small brook running along the edge. The companions dismounted, and unpacked their sleep mats and blankets. After tying up the horses, near to the brook so they could drink, Saul and his party gathered some rocks to build a rudimentary fire pit and threw some dead wood in to keep wild animals at bay and to provide some warmth. Before long, the group’s sleep mats were positioned around the pit and Saul lay down his staff and lit the small fire with a simple spell.

  Brael was the only one not to have a sleep mat, or blanket so he offered to take the first watch. Votrex and Silus were the last to fall asleep; eyeing Brael with suspicion for a while after the others had drifted off. Before them, the last sleeper was Korhan, who found himself fascinated with the sharp, pointed features of the elf. As the sound of heavy breathing and snoring came to dominate the clearing Brael sat by the fire and began to whittle small sticks into sharp wooden darts, using the small dagger he’d taken which one of the soldiers had dropped. After whittling, then carefully inspecting each one, he would deposit it in his rough spun hessian tunic...

  The Ride to Briem

  When the first light of morning broke through the trees, Brael was still sitting by the glowing embers of near dead fire, whittling.

  Vashni was the first to wake. She pushed her blanket back and strode over to Brael, “You were supposed to wake me gravian, I was to take second watch... Why did you not wake me?”

  Brael shrugged, “You were sleeping so peacefully, and I was not tired - so I chose to take your watch also...”

  Vashni looked about the sleeping warriors, then took a seat next to Brael, “Do you not wonder gravian, what we have gotten ourselves into here? You and I... We could leave... Leave now - head south and let these fools ride to their deaths... What do you say?”

  Brael shrugged, continuing to whittle, “Go if that is your desire elf... I will stay to fulfil my vow.”

  Vashni smirked at him, “You feel honour bound to follow the Northman around seeking to save his life, when he has no concept of gravian honour or culture... You are a fool Brael, your vow means nothing to him, no gravians are here to observe your failure to do your duty - what have you to gain or lose?”

  Brael snorted, “Hmmph! There is ONE gravian here to observe, ME! I would not feel content were I to abandon my honour and neglect my duty. Do you care for nothing but yourself? Have you no compassion or sense of duty?”

  Vashni laughed, “No... Why should I? I do as I please, I help people when to do so amuses me, I rob from people for the same reason. I have no need for coin - the only reason I am taking part in this endeavour is because I find the idea of seeking and killing a draconis nobilus interesting...”

  Brael paused in his whittling and looked her in the eye, “Are you banished from Eldenizar? Is that why you frolic among mortals?”

  Vashni burst into laughter at this, almost rousing the others, “Brael, that is as far from the truth as you could get... That I were banished, would not my life be so much the simpler... I am sure you will discover the true reason for my absence from the city in the sky, I merely wish to put the troublesome event that will reveal it off for as long as possible.”

  “Then you are wanted by the elvish high council for... some crime?”

  “Hah! You are so naive gravian, yes I am wanted but I have committed no crime... You will come to understand I’m sure, those pursuing me are tenacious and resourceful... We shall give them the run around for as long as possible, but I doubt I can escape them indefinitely...”

  Brael pondered her answers for a moment then turned his back on her, “Will you try to unspeak my curse?”

  Vashni giggled at this and parted his matted black hair leaning close. The strange writhing, living symbol was still present on the back of his neck. He could feel her breath on his neck, her fingers gently caressing his blue-gray skin as she pulled the skin taught to make it easier to read. He felt foolish and vulnerable as the elf examined and probed his curse. After some time she spoke, “Is this in the language of the gravian? I can’t decipher it... It looks similar to elvish, but writhes, moves and changes so...”

  “It is gravian, but it may be a word made up of several words to form a new glyph with an aggregate meaning. It appears the glyph must in some way mean, ‘not able to disclose ‘the truth’ and ‘can neither remember the way to Durth Orza’ or willingly enter Durth Orza, or something like that... Possibly more... Even if I could guess the wording it will be woven in such a way that it can only be unspoken by another.”

  He felt Vashni probing with her fingers again, studying the mark, “Hmmph! I have no idea... It makes no sense to me... Would you like to make a guess? And I shall repeat it for you?”

  Brael’s voice sounded hopeful when he answered, “Yes! Before you do though - tell me what you see...”

  Vashni was silent for a moment as she watched the symbol writhe and change, “Hmmm, I see something like a sun, a black sun but with black snakes or flames forming out from the centre, I think the snakes have words written on them, but the writing is very small... Then it reforms into a spiral, and I see some words in the spiral which look a little like elvish, something like’ Vraic §iue zu§h awena’ … Then it squiggles around a little, settles into a row of zig zags made up of words then morphs back into the sun... But it keeps changing into other shapes too, and wriggling around - it’s very hard to see anything in it.”

  Brael listened, then thought carefully, methodically, eventually taking a deep breath he smiled thinly, “Try ‘ Ur§hoth anwea h§uz euiz carivsh cara’ “ Vashni repeated the phrase and watched the symbol, there was no flash of lightning and the symbol remained. She tried again, more carefully, then tried swapping the words around and altering her pronunciation.

  Eventually she sighed, “I’m sorry Brael, nothing... Unless you can think of something else to try - I think you’re going to have to remain impotent for now, at least until such time as we have the fortune to meet another gravian who might enjoy more success at deciphering this.”

  Silus awoke next, unsettled by the sight of the elf inspecting Brael’s neck and whispering, he almost muttered under his breath, though in truth it remained in his mind. His looks could easily be interpreted though.

  Vashni did not need to use her psychic powers to be able to interpret the suspicious look of Silus, “What are we plotting master dragon slayer? Why, we were just discussing which of your throats to slit first, and whose saddle bags might c
ontain the most gold... Such a pity, you spoiled our little ruse, we will have to wait until tomorrow night.”

  Silus threw back his blanket and hauled himself up, “Hmmph, very funny elf...“

  Before a full blown argument could break out Votrex awoke and chuckled at the exchange, “Bickering before breakfast? You have more impressive constitution than me dragon slayer... “Silus threw him a hateful look as Votrex rolled up his sleep mat and blanket. Soon the rest of the companions were roused also, each muttering greetings of ‘good morning’ or words to that effect while raiding their saddle bags for provisions. It soon became clear they were low on provisions, Korhans stunt in Trest, had perhaps shortened the time they had to prepare for the following leg of their journey. Luckily, Vashni appeared to have a small excess of provisions and quite surprisingly, seemed happy to share them. She had various items of bread, fruit and vegetables in her packs, which she shared out gleefully - though Silus took the offer with suspicion, after seeing the others munching happily with no ill effects he also gingerly tasted her offering.

  By the time all of the party had breakfasted, the fire had died completely. Korhan and Harald broke up the stone circle and threw dirt over the embers. Then they were back in the saddle.

  The morning air was crisp, the sky was clear. Saul lead the way north. Again, it wasn’t long before Korhan guided his horse towards the elf’s steed, “Good morning Vashni...”

  She raised an eyebrow at him, “Good morning barbarian...”

  “Vashni, how did you do what you did to the Berger? And when we were wrestling, you did something to me; I suddenly became very weak... And a little disorientated - how did you do that?”