Tall old trees and the occasional young sapling crossed their paths at every turn and it seemed as if they were walking around in circles until Nina would point out some landmark or significant feature that she had pulled from the map. The journey to the ruins would take them weeks of travel from what she had heard from both Leo and Nina as they had perused the map before leaving. With just the three of them walking under the thick canopy Rose felt lonely, as if she were actually on her own out in the woods. The feeling perplexed her.
The first week was the hardest on her, day in and day out she felt as if something was just not right about their surroundings. The further they walked the more strained she felt. On the final night of the first week she found herself unable to sleep, so she had offered to take first watch while the two of them slumbered. She stood at the edge of the camp staring out at the forest beyond watching and waiting. Movement out in the distance alerted her to a presence but movement in the forest was not an uncommon thing. The fire behind her crackled almost in response to her paranoia; most predators would not come within the halo of illumination.
There were few creatures in the forest that would attack something as big as them anyway. With interest she watched until a familiar shape stepped out of the trees and walked ponderously toward her. When he got closer she smiled and spoke in a soft voice. “My greetings to you guardian of the woods, I would ask what you were doing out here if I were not feeling so alone. Company would be a blessing.”
“You warm an old heart with your kind words young Rose.” The guardian rumbled in his deep bass voice, trying to be as quiet as he could. “We must speak, there are many questions you have for me.”
“I do, if you do not mind.” She sat down next to him and almost giggled when he did the same a bit awkwardly. “You said you knew me, and you’ve been waiting for me.”
“Aye, I have been waiting for a long time. Your blood I know, its lineage is of royalty.” The wizened old treant looked her directly in the eyes. “I knew your mother well, a queen she was.”
“My mother? Why then, why did she abandon me, I don’t understand.” Rose felt old issues welling up from inside of her along with old tears long ago shed. She had felt betrayal from the beginning having not known her mother in the first place but knowing that she was of royal blood made her feel even more ill at ease.
“Your mother, she came to me in tears one night long ago. She was upset about the way the world was decaying under the rule of the sorcerers. The magus-kings of the old orders were draining the life from the world around them with no regard for anyone or anything. Few alive on this continent remember the sundering quite like I do. I am in tune with the earth under your feet at all times and I felt its pain. This land is not the only place that felt the repercussions of the power-mad wizards.”
“What does that have to do with me?” She asked as he took a moment to rest. It was obvious that talking, moving and interacting was making him tired.
“Your mother, she was a prophet. With her gift of foresight she saw that the reshaping of the world at your hands. However, she knew that you would not be born for centuries to come. This tale is over a thousand years in the making. This continent is known as Anub’VolThrak and in the days past it was part of a larger whole. I could explain this all to you but it would tax me far beyond my ability. Your mother saw the destruction that the ruling bodies would cause so she fled and lived among the elves for a long time. The night she came to me she told me that she was leaving the forest haven because of a darkness that had crept in and taken hold.” The guardian paused and closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his strength. “That was the last night I saw her. When you touched the tree I knew you were of her blood, I can feel her strength within you. She put you there to protect you I think, to shield you from prying eyes until you were ready.”
“Her name was Katha’Na’Shan Et-Nalfys, if you wish to know. You, Alethia Rose Nalfys, are a princess of the naarabi.” For a moment the guardian watched her and let the information sink in. “I’m sorry that what I’m giving you is fragmented but my strength wanes. The forest that sustains me is too small to support me fully so I slumber much of the time to preserve the balance.”
“It’s alright.” She sighed and looked away from him, feeling as if she wanted to cry still but she was unable to let the tears fall.
“Your sadness breaks my heart little flower.” His deep voice said with a definite hint of lament. “Quickly, your questions must be swift for I must sleep again soon.”
“Did she tell you about my destiny?” She asked after a moment of thought.
“What she told me was fragmented and confusing to say the least. Prophetic dreams are hard to interpret sometimes but she was sure that you would be strong with magic and you would help to heal this continent, but the future was uncertain. Everything relies on you and your companions succeeding.”
“Thank you my friend. Please go rest. We will talk again some other time when you have regained your strength.” Rose leaned her head against the rough bark of his outstretched hand and then watched the silent giant walk through the trees and disappear into the woods not long after. What little he had given her had confused her more but she knew that had not been his intention. It was time for Liostro’s watch, so she walked over to him and shook him awake then lay down without saying anything further. She could feel his eyes on her as she turned away from him and struggled with the emotions swirling within her like a torrent of strong wind.
It didn’t take long for the mists of reverie to find her this time but she attributed that to sheer exhaustion. It was different in the forest; she knew that after the first night in the palace. The cold empty space had been replaced by a strange vivid world of haze and colors with shapes of trees and plants all around. It felt different above all else; everything was less physical and more emotional. Nina was there, leaning against a tree with her eyes closed humming a cheerful tune. Rose had figured out that the meeting with the queen and her entourage had been forced via magic, actual reverie wasn’t as lucid as that. It was more like sitting in a dream.
For a long time Rose sat near Nina and lost herself in thought, they could feel each other and interact somewhat but it was much more relaxing just to sit and enjoy each other’s company. Her mind raced and walked through the information she had been given until Nina kissed her on the cheek and disappeared. It was time for the last watch. The remainder of her night was spent fretting over her past and trying to deal with the fact that her mother had abandoned her to the pasha.
~~~~
The sound of metal upon metal, an alien noise in the forest shocked her out of her sleep. She woke up to find Nina on the ground attempting to hold off a creature she had never seen before. It was taller than a human with a muscular build, its head was broad and snake-like and its body was covered in small pebble-like scales that were colored a dark green like the surrounding brush of the forest. Instead of legs the creature’s lower half was like a serpent. The powerful arms of the creature menacing Nina carried a large sword that stood as tall as it was if not larger. Liostro was facing off against a similar being and simultaneously calling out her name.
Towering above her was a third of the strange beasts with a naked blade positioned at her throat. She looked up into its reptilian eyes and saw a cold intelligence there. Doubtless it thought she was at its mercy. She listened intently as it barked words in a strange hissing language and its companions backed away from their victims for a moment.
“You come with usssss.” The thing hissed as it stared at Liostro, expecting an answer. It moved the blade closer to Rose. “You come or I kill it.”
“Who says he’s the leader of this little expedition?” Rose grinned wickedly and cupped her hands, aiming them upward toward the treetops as the thing looked back over at her and narrowed its eyes. She clasped her hands together as if grasping something and puckered up her lips, making a sucking kiss noise as she flung her arms upward. The thing’s eyes widene
d as the motion caused the huge serpent-man to go flying over her head and bowl right into the one standing over Nina. “Aim to disable if you can, don’t kill them!”
Rose stood quickly and unsheathed her dagger and the black-bladed sword the elves had gifted to her, squaring off with the recovering brown-scaled leader. She noted the weapon in its hand was a sword-like armament with two handles, it was held in front of the wielder and it had several dangerous-looking barbs and curves. She had never seen such a weapon before, it looked heavy and hard to wield. The serpent approached her cautiously and blinked several times, the dual eye-lid motion was disturbing to her but she washed it out of her thoughts and focused on the problem at hand. This creature was definitely stronger than her without a doubt. “Just let us go and we’ll leave you be.”
“If I could, I would.” It replied cryptically. “I am Sarthis the Devourer and you are my prey this day little mouse.”
“Fine then, enough talk.” Rose took a defensive stance against her opponent and walked a little to her left, leaving a tree behind her right shoulder as she flipped the dagger over in her hand. The first swing swept past the spot she had been standing in, almost lazily, and that did nothing to assuage the feeling that she was outmatched physically. This time her element of surprise had been used. She knew that blocking the blows he slung at her would be a last resort; it would most likely rip her arm from its socket.
She fell into a rhythm, dancing away from and dodging his attacks. Her mind began formulating a plan of attack as his swings became more calculated, she could hear the force behind them as the huge blade narrowly missed her several times. She worked the creature closer to her, backing herself past the tree to her right. She watched the muscled arm rise up and as it fell she feigned a trip, wobbling backward.
The triumphant-looking creature put his full force behind the blow and at the last minute Rose fell forward and lashed out with a jab from her long sword. Just as she had hoped she heard and felt the resounding crack as the blade buried itself in the trunk of the ancient tree. Using his moment of confusion she struck him twice before hopping backward out of the reach of his meaty fist as he attempted to backhand her with a wide swipe.
She was learning that he was deceptively fast as she took a hit to the shoulder, just that little clip was quite painful but she was able to score a hit on his arm as he drew back after the blow. Continuing to dodge as much as possible she searched for her next move. She was unable to take her gaze from her scaled opponent for long. He suddenly charged forward and attempted to grab her in his powerful arms. She leapt up and called upon a little magic, imagining herself as light as a feather she flew much higher than he had expected.
Rose watched him hit the ground face-first and she dropped the magic, landing directly on his back with her blade pointing at the nape of his neck menacingly. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Nina and Liostro still facing off with their opponents. “All of you surrender now or I’ll kill your leader, drop your weapons and lie face down on the ground.”
“They will not.” Sarthis said as he moved his head to the side to eye her from the ground. “You will have to kill us all.”
The thought of slaying anything made her sick to her stomach. She had told them to disable their opponents and she had no intention of killing anything if she could help it. In her moment of indecision she had taken her eyes off of him for one second too long. Rose found herself flying through the air as the prone snake man used his strong arms to push himself upward violently. She hit the tree behind her hard, narrowly missing the blade sticking out of the side. Her eyes swam with motes of blackness as her consciousness threatened to slip away. Helplessly she watched him slither up to her and place both hands on his blade, tugging it from the tree with a huge effort.
“You’re almost a worthy opponent.” He mused as he brought the blade up with one hand and let it fall with a swift chopping motion.
Time stood still for a moment while she watched the blade rise and then fall. Too many people were relying on her being successful. As she sat there feeling helpless something deep inside of her ignited at that moment and she felt her arm swing upward to intercept the larger weapon. She envisioned her blade as being the superior of the two, a blade so keen that nothing could stop it. She was just as surprised as Sarthis when her black-bladed sword cleaved his heavy weapon in two and sent one half flying across the camp site to land a few feet from Nina. Rose took advantage of the situation and swept her blade back across in front of her, drawing a neat line across his arm. In light spray of red gore she watched with horror as most of his arm below the joint fell free and dropped to the ground still holding the remaining part of the blade.
He screamed in pain and put his free hand over the stump to try and stop the bleeding. Quickly the humanoid serpent turned and fled toward the trees and Rose let him go as she stood up shakily and locked eyes with the next of the two creatures.
“Burn.” The words left her lips like a curse and the scaled man-like beast let out a gurgling cry that ended with a small gout of molten rock spilling from his lips. Subsequently they burned as the hot liquid chewed a hole in his chest from the inside. The smoldering corpse dropped to the earth and the dead eyes were fixed on the remaining of the three.
It dropped its weapons in the face of her fury. The third spoke in broken common that was barely understandable. “Please, just following orders, witch not hurt me!”
Rose slumped to the ground as Liostro bound the creature’s hands tight behind him and made sure the creature couldn’t move by fastening him to a tree. Her chest felt hollow from the spent magic. She had not gotten the time to meditate properly so draining her surroundings and pulling from her body’s own reserve had weakened her significantly.
“Rose!” Nina cried as she rushed over and attempted to keep Rose on her feet.
“I’m okay, just too much magic at once.” Rose smiled as best she could for the young elf and motioned toward Liostro. “Help him.”
“Alright, don’t move.” She rushed off toward Liostro, leaving Rose kneeling in the dirt and grass.
Her vision swam and she sat down hard, dropping her weapons and leaning against the tree for support. Once the creature was bound she shut her eyes and attempted to gather herself. She heard Liostro’s footsteps as he approached and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m okay.”
“You say that, but you don’t look it.” He replied to her as he knelt down beside her and put a hand on her arm and squeezed lightly. “Just sit there for a moment while I question him.”
Nina took a good look at the creature that had been menacing her and whistled low as she surveyed the damage that had been done. A huge hole had been eaten through it, a large fissure in the front and a smaller on in the back with damage stretching down into its bowels and up into its head. The pungent aroma of cooking flesh assaulted her nostrils as a light breeze kicked up. “I’ve never seen anything like it, or smelled anything like it either.”
“Please let me go, did not know she was a witch! Sorry I am, sorry I am!” It repeated over and over as it attempted to grovel before Liostro who was approaching steadily with hate in his eyes. “We did not know! We follow orders!”
“Who’s orders?” Liostro barked as he swatted the creature across the head with the hilt of his long blade.
“New tribe leader!” The thing huffed as he recoiled from the blow and backed up against the tree. “He tell us go out. He say we find human, elf and fuzzy thing. Told us to bring back fuzzy thing and elf, kill human.”
“I only follow orders!” It cried again, as it attempted to dodge another blow to the head. “Please, witch no kill me!”
“Liostro stop!” Rose called out from across the camp as she leaned heavily on the damaged tree and tried to stand herself up. With some effort she was able to get to her feet and face the creature. “Who are you, what are you?”
“Kanyik, I am ashkanti.” He replied to her while cringing backward at the same time as she l
eveled her gaze on him.
“Listen to me. I am not a witch and I’m not going to hurt you if you cooperate.” Rose unsteadily walked across the camp. Nina lent her a hand as she passed by and she was thankful for that. With a sigh she leaned against a tree not far away from the prisoner. “Why does the new leader want us dead?”
“Kanyik not know, does not question orders.” He shrugged as best he could and regarded her curiously for a moment. “You are shaman then?”
“I don’t understand. Shaman?” She cocked her head to the side trying to figure out what he was getting at.
“If you not witch, then you shaman?” He asked again.
“Nina what’s a shaman?” Rose looked over at the elf who was just as perplexed. “Liostro?”
“A spiritual leader or healer that usually has some influence in a tribe’s direction if not outright control.” Liostro said before Nina could react. “I have dealt with this manner of creature before; their shamans are usually their leaders. Most can shape some form of rudimentary spiritual magic.”
“Okay fair enough. I guess I am a shaman in a way then, yes.” She said as she turned back to the ashkanti. She found him bowing his head and attempting to grovel at her feet.
“Forgive Kanyik, did not know you were shaman. Shaman hold sacred power, close to Ashram.” He kept his gaze to the ground. “Kanyik not worthy to live.”
“I forgive you, stand up Kanyik.” Rose said through a dumbfounded expression. “Tell me about this new leader, who is he?”
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