Deathsworn Arc: 01 - The Last Dragon Slayer

by Martyn Stanley

  The first challenge was dismounting his horse. Normally such a simple task as he could do it without even thinking. He’d done it in the dark before with no problem, but that total lack of any sense of sight, coupled with the balance hindering lack of hearing made it difficult, very difficult. He had no measure for how far below him the ground was and he stumbled awkwardly as his boots thumped onto the cobbles. Luckily the horse didn’t move much so he could use the orientation of the horses with the images, planted in his mind by Vashni to get his bearings. Vashni at this stage stepped back to give him space and watched in silence.

  First he found his horse’s reins, then holding onto them, he worked his way around his horse, until he placed a hand on her magnificent steed. Her horse stood submissively while he felt his way to the reins; with both reins in one hand he started leading them in the direction of the stalls. Never before had such a simple task been so difficult. Those few steps across the well worn cobbles seemed to take an eternity, and he sighed a sigh of relief when his groping hand met the edge of one stall. Feeling his way in, he found the tying point and fastened one horse after another to it. Again, such a simple task as tying a horse up, which he’d done more times than he could count - proved to be challenging to say the least without two of his senses. When he’d finally finished, he felt his way to the edge of the stall then tried to grope across the courtyard towards Vashni.

  Vashni grasped his hand chuckling, somewhat surprised at his success, but also a little dismayed at the obvious difficulty he had found in completing this simple task - clearly she had a lot of work to do with him. Leading Korhan by the hand Vashni entered the inn and strode up to the counter. A maiden saw her approach and joined her at the counter, she younger than the inn keeper’s wife in Trest, but looked tired and worn out. She looked at Korhan, screwed her face up, then looked Vashni in the eye, “What’s the matter with him?”

  “He is blind and deaf... But do not let that trouble you; I would like two rooms for tonight. One small one with one bed and a large room with five beds please.”

  “I can do you the single, with a two and a three.”

  “That will suffice, I also require stabling and feed for seven horses, the others will be arriving shortly - they have gone to see the Berger. Could I also have some fruit, bread, a jug of water and a jug of wine with two cups please?”

  “Three rooms, stabling, feed, food, water and a jug of wine, that’s two silver and seven coppers.”

  Vashni counted out three silvers and exchanged them for the correct change. The maiden poured the wine and water, then gathered a small bowl of fruit and a crust of bread, then led them through the inn, up the stairs to a small room at the back with a single double bed in it. Vashni stepped in first, leading Korhan, then turned and gestured for the innkeeper to leave. “We do not wish to be disturbed, please tell the others, led by a Saul Karza, that we will meet them in the morning.”

  “As you wish...”

  Vashni peered at the jug of wine on the small table. Briem was a larger, more successful town than Trest, and it had been built on the ruins on an elven city so things like fresh running water and sewage systems were not so scarce. Even so, the wine, when she swirled it around the jug with her hand appeared to be not of the finest quality. She stepped closer to Korhan, then whispered in his ear, “Ri§ine, cor§ou§a o§u §inair§a orao ta §hui cor§ou§a o§u §inair§a rai”. She watched Korhan open his eyes with a gasp.

  “Where are we?”

  Vashni smiled at him, “We have reached the town of Briem, Saul and the others are taking the bandits loot and Gedric to the Berger, I have secured us a room at this inn - Freais Folly, and allocated some time to further your mental training.”

  Korhan screwed his face up, “Freais Folly? Tis an unusual name for an inn... What does it mean?”

  Vashni giggled softly, “I doubt the innkeeper knows... But I think I do. I believe it relates to an old elvish legend that is said to originate from the town of Briem. Back in the olden days there was said to live an elven mage here, who achieved such a mastery of magic that he could transform mass into energy and energy into life on a whim... However he was a lonely mage and longed for female company. His name was Freai§a... And this story is a perfect example of the power of words. When a spell caster words a spell they have to be very careful how they word it, it has to completely unambiguous, whispers should be the same. This is why you should not attempt to whisper unless you have perfect pronunciation and diction - or the meaning can be skewed.”

  “What happened to this mage?”

  “Simple, he decided to attempt to create himself a female partner, shaped in the image of his desire. However when he came to utter this powerful spell the meaning was skewed... Hmmm, I believe the final incantation translated something like, ‘Make me the girl of my dreams’ and he formed an image in his mind of what he perceived to be a perfect female elf. Instead of what he expected though, the spell morphed his body, changing his physique and genitals... He became what he perceived to be, a perfect female elf. The spell was so powerful it drained many of his resources, and the action of the spell in changing his body at the molecular level was said to be so traumatic, so painful - that he could not face reversing the process and lived out the rest of his days as a female.”

  Korhan laughed loudly as he imagined this, “Hah! Poor wretch! Imagine how that must have felt!”

  “Poor wretch? What precisely Korhan is it about being female that warrants your pity? Elvish culture is not like human culture, female and males are generally treated equally. The only matter of importance for gender is that certain work requires more physical strength, and our males tend to be a little stronger - so they get selected for this work and in order to procreate it requires one elf of each gender. Had he been a human mage, then it may have been appropriate to pity him, hmmph, or her... Human society appears to favour males quite noticeably ... But do not assume that is true for all the races.”

  “Hmmph, well whether tis merely a human trait, I should care dearly if I were be magically transformed into a female.”

  “Hah! You, Ri§ine, base too much of your identity on being ‘male’ as you rely too much on your sense of sight. I do not believe it is possible or safe to whisper you into a female - but if I could I would. It would do you good to spend a spell as the opposite gender; it might improve your attitude.”

  Korhan bowed his head slightly, “My apologies Mir§a Vashni, I will try to learn from your teachings.”

  “Good... Now observe, I have ordered us wine and water, but the wine here is not good wine. It has excessive sediment, too much of the sugar has fermented into alcohol - this wine is barely drinkable - try some.”

  Korhan took the jug, poured himself a small cup and sipped it carefully. It tasted a little acidic and left a nasty aftertaste. He was not a regular wine drinker, but even to his insensitive palate, it was awful, “This is not good wine...”

  “No it is not. But watch, something can be done about it...” She leaned close to the jug and uttered a shallow, short whisper. Slowly the sediment crawled up the inside of the jug, then trickled down the outside. As it did so, she whispered into the jug again, it bubbled and fizzed softly for a few seconds, then went quiet. Vashni poured two cups of the wine this time and handed one to Korhan, “Try some now... I have instructed the impurities to vacate the jug and the sugar and alcohol levels to become... Hmmm, correct.”

  Korhan took the cup and sipped some, the difference was phenomenal, now the wine tasted, smooth, fruity and sweet. It was now such a fine wine that for once in his life Korhan felt he preferred wine to ale or mead. He began gulping it enthusiastically. Vashni smirked at him, “You like?” He nodded, and as he drank he took in the room they were in. Elvish carvings, worn by time were scattered about the walls. The only window in the room was a large, but slender, ornate stained glass window.

  Korhan sighed, “It’s amazing... The architecture here is too...”

  “Tis of elvis
h construction, though poorly maintained. Now eat, drink... I have returned your senses to you for a short break, before I remove them once more. The exercise in the courtyard went well, but not well enough. You do not know your own mind Ri§ine, let alone your own body - I have much work to do with you.”

  Korhan took a seat on a small wooden stool, thankful to be in possession of his sight and hearing again. He took his time, breaking bread up and eating it with the fruit. He drank some wine and some water, his brief time without hearing or sight seemed to have sharpened his sense of smell and taste somehow. Vashni took a little fruit and bread and sat away from him on the bed, eating. With his mouth full, Korhan looked up to Vashni, “Mir§a Vashni, something strange happened when I was riding, I thought I could sense the horses mind... Is this possible?”

  She raised an eyebrow at this, “A human? Reach out and touch the mind of another? Hmmmm, surprising... It may have been your imagination Ri§ine, but it may have been your mind reaching out and touching the equine mind of your steed... What was it like?”

  Korhan paused, thinking deeply about how to describe the alien presence he felt he’d contacted with his mind, “Hmmm, strange... Alert, sharp, but simple... Trusting... Its flank was sore... No words, just feelings... “

  Vashni chuckled, “I have to say I believe you may have achieved something which I did not think was possible for you to achieve! You must be careful though, when your mind is straying it is more susceptible to attack or infiltration. Defending your mind whilst wandering is a special skill... I would advise against probing the minds of others except when you are certain your mind is not going to be attacked or probed.”

  Korhan paused for a moment, “I did not try to probe the horses mind... I just... Hmmm, Mir§a Vashni - I wish to collect some cured meat from my saddlebags, though the bread and fruit tastes good, I need something more substantial.”

  “Ri§ine, you do not need anything more substantial. While you are my Ri§ine, you will not eat meat, poultry or fish, you will eat only fruit, vegetables, bread and dairy products.”

  Korhan almost spat his food out, “Mir§a Vashni! I shall waste away without proper sustenance! Are there no exceptions to your rule? Why do you wish to impose this restriction upon me?”

  “Ri§ine, I am surprised you question this. Sometimes I find you surprisingly bright and interesting for human, but other times such as now you seem very dull... You have accidentally touched the mind of your horse; you have sensed its feelings... If you kill animals for meat, they suffer and despite what you think, you do not ‘need’ meat in your diet. There are few exceptions to my rule, oysters are one - they are technically an animal, but they do not have a mind, not even a simple one, they lack a central nervous system so are incapable of suffering... Any other beast, is off the menu for you while you are my Ri§ine - are we clear?”

  Korhan’s face dropped in dismay, at every turn, maintaining this situation became less and less tenable. He decided after careful consideration to try to refrain from eating ‘meat’, “Yes, Mir§a Vashni, I will refrain from partaking of meat...”

  “Good... It will do you good to lose a few pounds anyway, you are heavy and slow. Have you finished your meal and drink? I am tired and wish to rest, but before I do I will whisper to you again.”

  Korhan chewed for a few moments, wolfed down some more bread and fruit - then drained his cup of wine. He thought about this situation, he found himself torn, being robbed of senses was a terrifying experience, but he did feel that he’d learned from it. He thought about calling the whole thing off, but a glance up at Vashni’s slender frame... And he changed his mind, he found himself not simply attracted to her, but interested in her too, her strange ways, her bizarre culture, her enigmatic mind... At the very least he wished to learn all he could both from her, and about her.

  Korhan smiled, “I am ready...”

  Vashni pointed to the floor in front of the door, “Lie on the floor against the door, blocking it.”

  “Why?”

  She sighed, raising a slender eyebrow. “Questions again Ri§ine?”

  Korhan lay on the floor against the door, “Sorry Mir§a Vashni...”

  She knelt on the floor next to him and moved her head near to his ear, “I’m going whisper to you again now... This is a special whisper though... I am going ‘lock you in’....”

  “To the room?! What do you mean?!”

  “Shhhh, I am going to stop all your senses, your sight, your hearing, your smell, your sense of touch, everything - I am going to cut your mind off from the physical world completely.”

  Fear gripped Korhan, this sounded too extreme, he started to get up. “No, I can’t go through with that!”

  She pressed him back down gently with her hands, “Shhh, do not worry - I will allow no harm to come to you. I want you to explore and know your own mind, without the distractions of the physical world. I appreciate this may seem hard, but you can learn from it... And I have a task for you - I want to you try to ascertain how much time has passed between me locking you in and unlocking you... Will you do this for me Ri§ine Korhan?”

  At this point he was more torn than ever. She’d given him no indication of how long she intended to keep him in this state, trapped inside his own body with no means of even communicating with the world until she had undone whatever she did... He considered that actually they should be leaving the next day, so it couldn’t be longer than twelve to sixteen hours. The fact that she seemed to want him to act as a sort of doorstop while he was prone suggested it would be at least ten hours.

  Resigning himself to her care, he nodded and lay still. She placed her mouth near his ear and began whispering, “Ri§ine , §hui abelk o§u §inair§a rai, §hui abelk o§u §inair§a oreo, §hui abelk o§u §inair§a mak§i §a §i overuisha....”

  As she whispered, Korhan felt his senses dull, then vanish. He could feel his eyes closing, but the hearing, smell, and touch they were strange. He felt immediately paralysed, which was because part of the whisper paralysed him, a man with control over his limbs but no sensation in his limbs could endanger himself. Before long he was left with nothing but silence and darkness...

  Vashni stood, and smiled at her ‘project’ working on him was proving far more interesting than being a thief or assassin. Her only hope was that she could evade her pursuers for long enough that she could see this experiment through to its conclusion. Leaving Korhan alone, trapped in the dark silence, of his own mind she disrobed and hung her leather and suede over clothes up. Then climbed into the bed and willed herself to sleep.

  Korhan felt very claustrophobic at this point, being able to think, but unable to interact seemed like a cruel torture, one worse than death itself. He felt frustrated and helpless, but these feelings subsided. Boredom crept in, but he did not want to sleep... He found himself exploring old memories, the absence of the physical world and his senses making them all the more vivid. After revisiting most of his past he began running through possible outcomes of their quest, that too subsided and he was left with the horror of being alone in the dark. Loneliness crept in, he began to think about Vashni, ever since he’d agreed to their Mir§a, Ri§ine relationship she’d had him at her mercy and had been inflicting greater and greater tortures on him... But already he felt he knew himself better, he felt mentally stronger for the experiences, hard as they were to endure...

  While this had been transpiring, Saul Karza led the rest of the group to the administrative building off the town square. All of the riders were quite astonished at the difference between Trest and Briem. Trest was more typical of backwater towns, but Briem seemed clean and orderly, it didn’t smell badly and the streets weren’t awash with mud, urine and excrement. As they rode through the streets they noticed various indicators that the town was in a state of disrepair or decay, but it was surprisingly clean. If Vashni had been with them and they’d cared to ask her she would have explained that a complex system of pipes and gullies under the cobbled streets brought clean
water into the city and flushed waste away. Some parts of the city had large chunks of incomplete elvish architecture, but in many parts only the foundations of the grand, ancient architecture remained.

  An exception to this was the large administrative building overlooking the town square, the Berger’s residence and also the centre responsible for the running of the town. Most of the ancient elvish architecture was intact, and that which wasn’t appeared to have been restored with some care, in a genuine attempt to blend in with the fine, but weathered workmanship of the elves.

  The guards outside the administrative centre cast nervous looks at the band of warriors approaching, Saul remained on his horse to address them, “Soldiers of Briem, greetings, I am Saul Karza, emissary of Empress Jade, blessed be her name. I would speak with the Berger if he is available.”

  The guards exchanged a nervous glance, then the younger of the two scampered into the administrative building. After a brief pause a man who appeared to be the Berger appeared, flanked by several crossbow wielding guards. He wore fine, furs and well maintained clothes. Like the Berger of Trest he was crowned with only a simple iron band. He was young for a Berger too, not quite clean shaven, but with his hair cropped short. The Berger sported a sullen, serious expression, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He strode up to Sauls horse, his guards training their sights on the companions, “Well, well, what have we here then?”

  Saul raised his hand, palm upwards, “We come in peace. We are performing an errand for Empress Jade, which requires our presence at the foothills of the sky cleavers... However, whilst on the road we found ourselves waylaid by bandits... I regret to inform you Berger, but most of the bandits were slain - we were only able to take the leader captive, a Gedric I believe. We have brought him here to face your judgement, as we have brought the bandits meagre takings.”