The Raiden
Page 30
“So you preferred to announce your presence and let the animal come to you,” Aeron commented.
“In this instance, yes. Because it seemed this thing was brutish and predictable. I could have tracked it down and tried to surprise it, but I was just as successful waiting for a confrontation in the location of my own choosing.” I shook my head, reliving the amazement I had felt at the sheer size of the thing.
“The thing was not subtle when it arrived,” I went on. “It seemed that Darziates had warped a bald, mole-like creature into something that was easily the size of two loaded carts. But it snuffled towards us noisily and bumped into the wreckage it had left previously because the three eyes in its pink skinned forehead were so ridiculously small as to be useless.”
“That explains the destruction and sloppiness in its previous attacks,” Aeron surmised.
“And faulty eye sight also meant it shied away from the firelight and couldn’t stand to even look at the villagers,” I agreed. “However I foolishly took for granted that the beast would be quick to slaughter. My arrows did sink into its hide, but I could leave no fatal marks and before I knew it the beast had charged me and I was trying to get a grip on its pink, wrinkly skin.” I shivered. “I was trampled by some very hefty hooves and pin cushioned by a boar-like tusk before I realised that no matter how many times I stabbed the beast, I had to find its heart to do true damage. Thankfully, like a boar, I at last discovered that the heart was behind the beast’s thick shoulder.”
“And the villagers?” Aeron asked.
“The young man had passed away while I was engaged, and I left them to their mourning so that I could mend my own injuries without imposing on them. I had to be swift, as I had already heard rumours that a reptile of some kind was feasting on villagers to the south.”
Aeron’s broad shoulders rose and fell with a large breath. “The people of Krall suffer.”
“They have little way of surviving off the land,” I said. “But they have been exposed to horrors for all of their lives and are more miserable than shocked by it. In contrast, when these beasts started appearing in Awyalkna, the Awyalknians reacted with terror, but also with disbelief and indignation that such a disturbance could happen in Awyalkna at all. Many times when I saved Awyalknians, they would pile me with a list of complaints instead of thanks.”
Aeron chuckled gently beside me.
“What of your own experiences?” I prompted him then.
“Oh, Jenrans do not suffer as those of Krall do,” Aeron answered. “Yet Jenrans are not dissimilar in their reactions to danger. When word spreads of Griffon attacks, people shake their heads. But it is simply an unavoidable factor of our lives.” Aeron’s tone was quiet and calm as he spoke. “The Griffins can be sly,” he continued. “They sometimes try to take people through windows or balconies. But the guard is always on watch and the Griffins rarely attempt something so risky unless they are starved. It is mostly the valley farmers who face regular abduction or slaughter.”
“How do you target the Griffins?” I asked. “I doubt your soldiers are purely defensive.”
“No. We are hunters too,” Aeron explained. “The Griffins are vermin. If we are not careful, and do not cull, they will not only kill us by their violence, but through their germs and diseases. So we often leave scrap heaps of rotten fish about the mountains, and lure in starving, desperate fiends. We also stalk out the nests of their Kings.”
My eyebrows rose at the thought of such an adventure. Breathing would be hard at such altitudes, and one would have to be nimble and cold resistant to reach the heights of those nests. “Hazardous,” I commented, approving of the idea of such a venture entirely.
“Only the most hardened squads attempt it. The men must be unnaturally good climbers, and are trained so thoroughly in group tactics that they think as a team. No one man could take on the King sized Griffins alone. Especially when faced with the King Griffin’s nesting partners as well.” Aeron straightened as he sat, as if remembering an ailment in his back as we talked about such challenges. “Stealth is key. We must wait for the wind to carry our scent in the opposite direction to our prey, so that we do not become the hunted. And we also use tactics in likeness to your own.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned.
“Using human bait,” Aeron elaborated. “Groups of soldiers put on their brightest uniforms and ‘search’ the mountains for trouble – parading through the most Griffin infested Passes to tempt the enemy to come to us.”
“Are your measures effective?” I questioned.
“Each week at least one hundred Griffins are slaughtered. Yet each day a new litter of Griffins is birthed. The cycle will never end. We simply maintain their numbers for them, to make our own lives safer.”
“Are injuries common?”
“The men are trained to handle shields and short swords, but death is not uncommon. The snap of a Griffin beak can easily be the slice of a vital artery or the fatal crack of a bone. Or one misplaced step can mean a nasty tumble out of an eyrie. Though even scratches or gashes have caused many soldiers to sicken and die.”
I winced at the thought, though I was also aware that Jenra was one of the most developed nations of men in the discovery and treatment of different illnesses. Likely prompted because of the hygiene and health issues associated with plagues of Griffins.
“Lady Amarantha, Jenra’s leading healer, is revered amongst our people for her research and methods of sanitation. She has saved countless lives from infection,” Aeron told me, as if reading my mind. He began to rise as faint touches of light returned to the sky. “Lady Amarantha is perhaps our greatest warrior against the winged fiends, because of her efforts.”
He towered over me as he stood, and I noticed his soldiers purposely rising too, following his lead.
“It has been a pleasure talking to you, friend.” Aeron concluded our swapping of information, stretching his stiff muscles. “I thank you.”
“I was glad to have shared the time with you,” I replied, standing as well.
“May I ask,” he started, and then cleared his throat. “How is it that you know the Jenran language?”
I smiled a slight smile, aware that he wanted to know if I had ventured as far as Jenra before, without their knowledge. Perhaps he thought me to be a skilled spy, for nobody should be able to enter Jenra without having passed the unknown test.
“You are evaluating me again,” I said, inwardly ruminating on my lengthy, secretive stay in Jenra, where I had been a hidden presence in their midst, taking note of their healing practices and even harvesting some of their exotic ingredients for my healer bag. “I simply feel it is courteous to know the language of those you wish to speak to.”
“Of course,” Warlord Aeron answered slowly. “And soon, in the test, you will be heard by our entire nation.”
Chapter Sixty Six
Noal
I woke to Thorin gruffly nudging my shoulder. Every single part of my body ached. I could’ve sworn that every follicle, every cell, every tendril of hair, was throbbing.
“Agghhhh –”
“We’re trying to look formidable, remember?” Thorin whispered, interrupting my moan. “You need to put your alert face straight back on,” he prodded me in the ribs.
I lifted my head off the ground and saw Thale waking everyone else while our Jenran guards watched on.
“Gods,” I gave a muffled whisper back. “Right. I can do tough.”
I immediately pushed myself up, flexing my arms and stretching, looking for all the world as if I had awoken refreshed and ready to face a whole new nation.
I scooped up my pack and swung it cheerfully across my shoulders, as if it didn’t feel like a sack of stones.
“Good job,” Thorin commented, resting his hand almost carelessly on the hilt of his curved sabre – back to the image of a warrior.
Kiana and Dalin joined us and our group came together as the Jenrans mounted and the march began again.
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nbsp; Our escorts remained largely silent as we stepped through wide grassy fields that were sprinkled with yellow, bobbing flowers. And we too remained quiet and fascinated as we drew closer to the Jenran City carved from the mountain and cliff faces.
We only started when our peace was broken by a great boom of noise that suddenly thundered across the countryside. The sound reverberated across the wide landscape, making pebbles on the ground shudder and birds lift off from trees with cries of surprise. Only moments later the boom of noise rumbled around us again, sounding louder than the heartbeat of a God.
“What is that?” Nikon asked Kiana disconcertedly. We all glanced about in search of the source of the sound while still trying to appear undaunted.
“Calm yourselves,” Kiana said. “I’ve read of this. It is the sound of the Jenran drums calling any who would come to witness our testing.”
“I hope that’s what it means,” Ferron exclaimed. “It sounds like we are being led to some kind of sacrificial ritual.”
“That ground shaking racket comes from drums?” Tane asked incredulously.
“Big drums,” Kiana reassured him. “Very big.”
“And they are being used to summon the Jenrans to watch us?” Thale asked nervously from behind Thorin. “I’d prefer not to have a nation sized audience.”
“Be flattered,” Kiana told him. “Those drums are ancient and only used for such occasions as the crowning of new Kings and Queens and the call to war. Or,” she added, “the testing of strangers.”
“So not very often then,” Purdor winced, not looking flattered or comforted at all.
As we drew closer to the looming gates at the base of the cliff carved entrance, the booming beat of the drums became so powerful that I felt as if my teeth rattled.
“Oh Gods,” I heard Phrixus utter, gazing upward.
Between the many towers and rocky peaks there were countless walkways and halls that had open windows and sweeping balconies. And, filling every spare open space – spilling around every doorway and gap, there were swarms of people. So many thousands in each space that they looked simply like a shifting sea of shapes.
We were close enough now that we could hear the roaring anticipation and cheers of the crowds over the drum beats, and the sound formed a roar that was almost as deafening.
Gideon swallowed nervously. “They are very excited to witness what will happen to us.”
“Because we are the first visitors they have ever seen,” Kiana replied calmly.
My heart raced as Dalin and I at last approached the moment that our original Quest had been focused on, and as I saw in the distance that the richly dressed figure of a crowned man, with archers at both of his sides, had stepped up onto the walkway at the gates.
When we reached the foot of the great gates the thunderous drumming stopped and the tumultuous storm of voices ceased while the atmosphere seemed to tremble.
The King atop the gates stepped closer to the edge, and then he spoke in a deep and booming voice that carried down to us with words delivered in the Jenran language.
“You have come to Jenran land, strangers,” Kiana whispered in translation for us. “But before you may enter into our halls you must first be proven friends. You must pass our test. If you refuse to take the test you will be escorted out of this land. If you fail this test you will live no longer. If you pass this test you will be welcomed forth, as dear to us as our own kin.”
The King paused, his gaze boring into us even from the distance. “Do you agree to take the test?”
Kiana stepped forward, unflinching under the eyes of so many. She raised her hand, held in a fist, to her chest and gracefully bowed before straightening. “Randaer tren Maelgon. Ge una vo opok gesh sphit ra vo ata lo forvoners,” she called in her clear, carrying voice.
There were muffled exclamations and the crowds shifted. But I couldn’t make out if the man above was surprised.
“What did she say?” I asked in a whisper.
To my astonishment the leader of our guards, the Warlord who sat upon his horse beside us spoke in a low voice. “Your companion has just greeted our King, mighty Durna,” he explained in a thick accent. “She said: ‘Hail great King. We agree to take your test and to accept the consequences.’ ” I raised my eyebrows.
So he had known how to speak to us all along.
The King addressed us again, and Aeron translated once more. “Will you speak for your group?”
“U des.” Kiana affirmed. ‘I will.’
The King raised his hands and a servant came forth, opening an ornate box for Durna. Upon a cushion in the box there sat a spiralling, sharp tipped rod of gold, and with reverent hands the King accepted the spectre-like ornament.
“Beware that no lie is in the hearts of any of your group when you answer. For the golden horn will shine red,” Durna declared, and his voice seemed to project even further, as if the object had increased his personal power.
Kiana was gazing at the ‘golden horn’ in his hand intently as she answered. “We will answer with truth and honour.”
I noticed Agrudek clinging nervously to a pendant around his neck, enfolding the flashing red jewel in his hand as if seeking reassurance and comfort from it.
Then the King asked his first question and I focused back on the Warlord as he translated.
“Do you mean harm to the people of Jenra?” Durna questioned.
“Lin.” No.
I held my breath along with every Krall soldier and every Jenran above as the ‘golden horn’ judged each of us based on Kiana’s unfaltering answer, and was stunned when the horn in the King’s hands burst into a blindingly pure, golden light.
I found that I couldn’t look away. Wonder and joy flooded me as I gazed, open mouthed at it, realising that I could feel the pure warmth of magic radiating from it even from here.
Only when the wondrous light faded was I able to shake myself out of my stupor, and the entire Jenran population broke into deafening outpours of cheering until King Durna raised the horn again, ready for the next question.
“Do you serve Darziates, his Witch, or any other evil?”
I heard the men shifting uneasily behind me and I was aware that Agrudek held his pendent more tightly, but not a shadow of doubt crossed Kiana’s face as she answered.
“Lin.” No. Each of the Krall warriors had pledged themselves to the Three, to our Quest. I thought I saw a glint of red out of the corner of my eye from Agrudek, but my attention was absorbed again as the horn burst forth with brilliant and enchanting light.
“Who are you?” Durna asked next.
“Representatives of Awyalkna, Krall and the beings of the Forest.”
This time there wasn’t such rapture and intent focus on the horn as it glowed gold. Instead there were unrestrained gasps and exclamations that seemed to ripple up and down the mountain as word of what she’d said spread.
There were disbelieving calls and the recognisable words of “Krall?” and “Sylthanryn!” But the truth of that simple statement had been proven by the horn’s glowing light.
Finally the King asked: “Why have you come?”
Kiana remained bold and confident. “We have come to speak with you, King. To ask for the renewal of the ancient alliance between our lands, so that we may triumph over the evil Darziates has brought to this world.”
This time there were so many exclamations and outbursts of chatter that hardly anybody noticed the horn anymore and it took the King a number of moments to achieve silence before he asked his final question.
“I see a troop of Krall men marching with Awyalknians in friendship and co-operation,” the King stated. “And your group presumes to evoke the alliances of old to bring Jenra into the war,” he said seriously. “Tell us. Why should we listen to you?”
I held my breath as a hush descended over the scores of people along the mountain kingdom as they watched Kiana and waited.
She took a step forward and peered up at the crowds keenly.
Total focus fell upon Kiana as the Jenran masses strained to hear her.
“I have travelled with Noal, Prince of Awyalkna, and Dalin, heir to the Awyalknian throne. We have crossed Awyalkna amidst constant threat from Darziates’ creatures, and gained the allegiance of his sixteen warriors. We have crossed the largest Forest in this world, and met the magical beings dwelling within. We have gained the allegiance of the Elves, the Nymphs and the Lady of Sylthanryn. And we have traversed the Jenran mountains to seek allegiance here too. For we are the Three. And we mean to unite the mortal and magical races of this world to end the threat of Darziates in another War for the World.”
Kiana paced back to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “One to bring the Three and their allies together in their Quest,” she called, and a shiver ran down my spine as her words were translated. Then she stood by Dalin. “One to unite the lands of men, to lead all mortals in this war. The Raiden.”
Then she took her place in between us. “And I,” she called calmly – this time using Aolen, “am the One. The One to summon and lead the magical races to combine with the mortals led by the Raiden.” She stepped forward. “I am the last of the Larnaeradee.”