A Warrior's Legacy

by Guy Stanton III

I didn’t have to wait long. I felt the tips of two swords nick me in half a dozen places within the twinkling of an eye and all I had seen was the brief flash of Raya’s eyes and the swing of her hair.

  They were gone from before me suddenly and then I felt two feet planted firmly in my back that sent me falling head over heels forward to the cave floor.

  I coughed because of the stirred up dust on the cave floor.

  “Are you ready to die daylighter?” Came the cool voice of Raya from behind me.

  I sat up and started laughing softly. She didn’t know how much she had made me angry!

  White hot seething anger coursed through me at her cowardice of tactics. I closed my eyes and things became clearer to me.

  “Do you think this is a joke? Answer my question fool!” Stormed the hotly offended sounding voice from behind me.

  I stopped laughing and said, “A better question Raya is, are you ready to die?”

  My left hand shot out and gripped an artfully crafted ankle and I lunged to my feet taking the body attached to the ankle with me and twirling sharply I flung Raya through the air to smash into the silent watchers gathered around us.

  There were surprised grunts and the squeal of an enraged wildcat. She untangled herself from the jumble and jumped to her feet and I knew that she was now ready to kill me.

  I didn’t care I was so mad I was ready to kill her too. I didn’t wait for her to start it. I advanced to the center of our little arena and then reaching up I drew both of my sabers out and stuck them in the sand before me. I pulled a folded cloth out of one of my pockets my hands slick with blood from one of her inflicted nicks on me.

  Taking the cloth I unfolded it and raising it to my head I tied it around my eyes and head. I heard a general murmur of consternation from the surrounding watchers and then once again silence.

  My hands found my saber handles and my mind focused in on the still form of trained outward consciousness that had been drilled into me for years by my father’s beloved friend Rolf.

  I could hear his firm words of instruction in my ears even now. I let all the turbulent emotions of anger, fear, uncertainty and so on fade away inside of me, until I was completely devoid of feeling and all that remained was a deep awareness of the present.

  With my last sigh of emotion I said, “Let’s see what your made out of little coward!”

  I heard her scream of indignant rage and I felt her onrush and my body and sword blades shifted into the movements of the dance. Steel clang sharply against steel sending off sparks in a flurry of action reminding one of a turbulent lightning storm, every move choreographed and yet instinctively felt.

  I swirled and lunged swinging my blades in unison of determined movement. Her onrush of me had been one of furious attack, but now she scrambled to defend herself. Parrying her swords apart I lifted my foot up against her hard stomach and sent her flying backwards to the cave floor.

  “Again!” I said sliding my swords down one another gratingly in direct challenge.

  She came at me more cautiously than before, but I knew the confines of my arena well and I pressed in on her not letting her have a moment’s respite. The cave echoed with the clamor of our onslaught against each other.

  Sweat ran off of me in rivulets, but my breathing stayed the same. Not so for her. I heard her ragged gasps for air and I knew she was weakening.

  She was the most skilled opponent I had ever faced, but she wasn’t fighting for a cause like I was and she hadn’t had the benefit of hours and hours of training one on one like I had with Rolf. My greater will and determination were proving out and I knew that she knew it too, but she showed her gameness and kept fighting on.

  I swept a leg out causing her to trip to her knees and then I swept around her and planted a foot against her back and shoved her sending her face down into the dust as she had done to me.

  Deliberately I turned my back and walked away across our makeshift fighting arena, “You have skills little thief, but not enough righteousness of purpose to win the battle.”

  A scream of rage burst out from behind me at my demeaning words and I heard her bang a sword off the ground. Turning I met her onslaught of fury and matched it with my own.

  Toe to toe we faced each other swinging away with a passionate will each of us seeking the others demise. If I could have seen it the fury of our clanging blades had caused them to glow red.

  It was time to end this passionate exchange, as I felt that I had gotten my point across sufficiently. I smacked the tops of her hands with the flats of my sword blades so hard that she dropped both of her swords. Before she could stoop to retrieve her swords one of my blades rested just above the skin of her throat. Before she could step back from the blade’s edge my other blade rested across the back of her spine as I stood to the side of her.

  She panted for breath carefully, as she stayed still between my blades knowing that with the flick of either wrist I could kill her.

  “Enough! I have seen enough!” Came a deep voice from the crowd of onlookers.

  I lowered my sabers and pulled the cloth away from my face. Raya still stood before me breathing heavy watching me. I slid one of my sabers down and scooped up both of hers and brought them both up to me.

  Looking at her directly I said, “Don’t ever steal anything from me again or seek to belittle me or anyone else in front of others to show off your own great skills and strength!”

  I saw her head illuminated by her eyes and hair nod slowly. I extended her hot bladed swords back to her and she took them back hesitantly.

  I turned away from her towards a man who had separated away from the crowd of silent watchers. Once again I was struck by the difference. His features were Berniam, but physically he was taller and more muscle bound like Raya was, more so than the native people who were on the surface.

  What could cause such a physical change, within the same bloodline? Not to mention the glowing eyes and hair, the sharp teeth, and the hard taloned fingernails.

  “I believe this is yours.”

  The man tossed my sword through the air towards me. I caught its scabbard grateful beyond words to have it once again in my hands.

  “You are free to go. Our people have strict orders not to interfere in the matters of uplanders.” The speaker for the group said as he looked pointedly at Raya, who ducked her head low in shame.

  “A warrior of your greatness however has leave to visit our lands, whenever he sees fit to. Tell me what is your name uplander?”

  A plan was starting to form slowly in my head and I flowed along with it. I sheathed my two sabers and then I pulled my sword free of if sheath and the familiar reaction of pulsing icy blue color that was so similar to these people’s glowing eyes and hair happened once again to the chorus of surprised gasps and looks of wonder displayed on the faces of the encircling people.

  “My name is Zevin Ta’lont. I am a direct descendent of the man who brought the peoples of Berniam to this land and I need your help to save it from the state of bondage and tyranny that it has fallen into!”

  Light peeled off the sword illuminating the cavern and those gathered in it.

  “Will you help the people of the surface in their time of need?”

  Their spokesman looked around uncertainly before replying, “Such a decision would require a gathering of our elders and leaders. There is much that you do not know as well. Secrets the uplanders are not aware of.”

  I stepped forward and extended my hand to the spokesman in front of me, “Then let us discover them together my friend!”

  He nodded and shook my hand. The crowd of watchers parted and the spokesman indicated for me to go ahead of him. I traveled a short distance down the cavern walkway as my sword lit the way for me to see.

  “Welcome to Lanoria!”

  I stepped on down the cavern and turned a corner and stopped abruptly drawling in my breath in complete shock at what I saw.

  “It is beautiful is it not?” Asked Raya, who had come
to stand beside me.

  I looked at her and gazed for a moment, “Very beautiful!”

  She blushed catching my double meaning and looked away. Even her blush glowed slightly.

  I looked away from the beauty of her face to the beauty of her land, Lanoria. A land within a land.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Deep Places

  A massive cavern had opened up before me and there was light. Actually there was a lot of light, but it was bluish light like what my sword gave off.

  It emanated from columns of veins of a liquid looking substance that the surrounding rock strata of the cavern was saturated with. It was indescribably beautiful!

  The liquid blue substance actually appeared to be moving through the surrounding rock slowly.

  “What is it? I asked wonderingly.

  “Trinial. It is how we survive in Lanoria, without it we would never survive much less thrive.”

  I glanced at Raya. “Your eyes and hair how?”

  “The Trinial provides us everything in absence of the sun except heat. Its light feeds the plants we live on as well as the animals. Essences of the Trinial are in both the plants we eat and the water we drink. The Trinial gives us a hardiness to survive the harshness of life underground. Exposure to the light and essence in our blood causes our eyes and bodies to radiate light so that we can see to find our way around in the dark.”

  “Your ability to see in the dark means you can’t see in daylight?”

  “Yes, what is a blessing down here is also a curse that keeps us chained within the darkness of our caverns never to see the light or feel the heat of the sun again.”

  In the expanse of the caverns I saw people moving and signs of habitation everywhere. “How many of you are there?” I exclaimed.

  “Thousands.”

  “Thousands!” I exclaimed back in reply astonished.

  Who would have ever thought that such a thing was possible. Stairs had been cut out of the native rock and I started down them into the cavern. I held my sword in hand not out of fear of being attacked, but more out of a need for extra illumination.

  Even though the light given off by the florescent glowing columns of trinial was sufficient to light up the cavern it still didn’t put off enough light for my eyes to see adequately to walk across the rough terrain safely.

  Some kind of alert must have gone out because the pathway I walked through on the jumbled cavern floor was suddenly congregated with the dwellers of this realm. From the way some of the younger ones looked at me I could tell that they had never seen an uplander before. I was perhaps the first visitor this underworld realm had welcomed in a long time.

  How did these people get to be here and once here why had they allowed themselves to stay too long and become locked away here?

  Making our way past artfully crafted stone dwellings and interested spectators alike we came to a stone building separate from the rest, which was built into the wall of the cavern itself. An old man stood out in front of the door.

  He was somebody important I could tell. The others hung back a ways and I sheathed my sword out of respect. I could see well enough now anyway.

  “A fine blade Sir, to be sure! Now all that is to be wondered at is how such a marvelous sword was made from our own life-giving element a continent away from us. A mystery for another day to be sure. Come stranger and let us talk together.”

  He turned to the side and indicated the doorway behind him. His eyes left me and settled on Raya, “As for you Raya I’m not sure whether you should be disciplined or praised for your role in all this. You can be sure though that I will deal with you accordingly!”

  Raya’s head dipped down in shame once again before she turned and disappeared into the crowd. I had been watching him closely and I saw a tick of pain in the corner of his eye caused by his harsh words to Raya. He cared for her.

  He caught my knowing gaze, “The young have excuse by their lack of experience, but she has none.”

  He turned and entered through the doorway. Now what did he mean by that?

  I stepped inside and received a further surprise. The interior was even more well lit than that of the exterior. There were balls of the glowing trinial element on pedestals throughout the room and while the furnishings were sparse what there was looked comfortable.

  “Please have a seat Zevin.”

  “News travels fast down here.” I commented.

  His aged brows crinkled good humouredly as he said, “You’ll find that it is next to impossible to keep a secret underground. Tell me is it any better keeping one above ground?”

  I chuckled softly and shook my head, “No I’m afraid not.”

  “Just as I remembered it to be then. Well I’m sure you are full of questions. Tell me what is it you want to know first?”

  I looked at him for a lack of words to express the multitude of questions I had, “I don’t know where to begin. There are so many.”

  “Well then let us start from the beginning. How we came to be here. We are the mingling of two peoples. The North and the East. Both were brought to this darkened abode by the West’s treachery and the sorcerer’s thirst for power. Are you familiar with the recent sad history of Assoria?”

  “Somewhat.”

  “Tell me what you know.”

  I told him the story of it that I had been told by Zalisha.

  He nodded at my ending of the past events. “An accurate story. Now I shall tell you of what was not known at the time or since then concerning these people you see here. The Northern army on its way south through the mountain passes as you know was ambushed, but it was not destroyed completely. During the second night of fighting the survivors of the first days attack found a cave opening. All night long the Northern warriors filed into the narrow cave opening. Over five thousand warriors who were wounded elected to stay behind and insure that our escape was not noticed the next day. They filled the cave opening and removed all evidence of our passage into the underground labyrinth that lies beneath all of Assoria. There were one hundred and twenty thousand of us when we rode south on our quest of unfounded vengeance against the East. Over ninety thousand of us died in the first day of fighting. Of those of us who survived only seventeen thousand of us made it into the cave.”

  “You were one of the warriors?” I asked incredulously.

  He smiled softly and nodded wryly, “Another benefit of underground living or perhaps a curse. I’m not sure which. I was a warrior in a position of command.”

  He paused for a long moment appearing as if lost in the memories of the past.

  “We stumbled around in the dark for days and we all became hopelessly lost. We had never intended to stay underground for so long, but try as we might we could not find a way back to the surface. After two bitter weeks of trying to find a way back to the surface we made the decision to go deeper into the caves. After a month there were barely 7000 of us left alive.

  Living underground may prolong the span of one’s years, but it is rare to ever live to experience such longevity. There are all kinds of dangers to overcome or simply survive from down here. Cave-ins, poisonous gas eruptions and hungry monsters. We were about to give up when we found a cavern similar to this one. It served as a sanctuary of sorts for us and it gave us time to get our strength back and explore our surroundings more fully. Years passed by before we finally found a way back to the surface only to find out to our dismay that we couldn’t reenter the light of day without becoming blinded. It was a very bitter discovery. Gone were all our hopes of returning to our families and our chances of fighting for our now vulnerable kingdom. We retreated back down to our underground chambers and continued on with our lonely existence not sure of what our purpose was. We made a discovery when one of our explorers reported the sounds of digging at the far end of a remote cave system. We investigated further and to our dismay we found literally thousands of slaves at work underground. They were Easterners and they were literally being worked to death by their ove
rseers a blend of both Western sentries and the sorcerer’s own men. We made contact with some of the slaves and from them we learned of what had happened on the surface since our absence from it. They told us of the North’s subjugation and then of its vanishing cities. They told us of the onslaught that had befallen the Eastern cities and the great disaster that had befallen Lancosa. The slaves had been taken prisoner from the Eastern cities. As the cities fell their inhabitants became the slaves in the sorcerer’s mines. The sorcerer they told us was in search of the blue element trinial that supports our entire life system down here. I’m not sure how, but the sorcerer manipulates the energy from the trinial element to wield it as a weapon. The slaves were being pushed to exhaustion, because the sorcerer had almost run out of the trinial he needed to finish destroying the Eastern Kingdom and the trinial had grown scarce in that area of Lanoria. We organized an escape for the slaves. The slave handlers were completely taken off guard by our sudden presence and we were able to smuggle out all the slaves without even raising the alarm on the surface. We destroyed the sorcerer’s equipment and there was a great explosion, which caved in the mining area and the caves and tunnels leading up to it were completely filled with debris. We have kept watch, but to our knowledge the sorcerer has never tried to mine for the trinial again. He either believes there is none left or he doesn’t have the resources it would take to mine them. We welcomed the Easterners into our caverns and they became strong as we did and together we became one people. Before their arrival we had few females left alive among us and while there weren’t many female slaves there were enough that our people could continue. We still have a shortage of women to men. Every young girl has at least ten suitors trying to claim her hand. It’s not helped any by the fact that males seem to be favored somehow as the predominant offspring underground. In spite of that issue we have grown and even thrived as a people in our harsh underground environments. And now you have come. The descendent of a great man, with a sword of power to match. Tell me how it is you think we can be of help to you in your struggle to overcome the combined strength of the West and the sorcerer and save the above ground remnants of both the East and the North?”