Rift of Askrah Book 1: Fracture

by Benjamin Andrews

“When is he going to wake up!” Marina cried, as she paced around the room. She glanced over at Nihlen every few seconds as she made a nervous path this way and that.

  “All we can do is wait. Walking around like that isn’t going to wake him up any faster.” Cal said shortly.

  When the Queen’s messenger had finally found them at the inn Cal had chosen for them, it was already well into the night. None the less, Marina had dressed quickly, and headed straight for the castle, a very grumpy Cal in tow. Since then they had been waiting for Nihlen to wake up, and it had been a very long two day wait.

  Marina continued to pace, unable to bring herself to sit still. Cal was lying back in his chair, his eyes closed. The day dragged on like that. Servants popped in and out, bringing them food or drinks. Even the Queen made a few appearances to see how he was doing.

  It wasn’t until the sun had nearly set that Nihlen finally began to stir. As he began moving, Marina ran quickly across the room, kneeling down beside his bed. Nihlen… Please be all right! Marina silently pleaded.

  Slowly, his eyes opened, and he looked over at her. “I’m alive.” He said thickly, closing his eyes once more.

  “I’ve been worried sick!” Marina said, trying to sound serious. Her eyes were tearing up though, and she was smiling at him. “I was really starting to worry you’d never wake up. Thanks for taking your time about it!”

  Nihlen chuckled softly, and then coughed a few times. “I could really use a drink, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  Marina stood up, and walked over to one of the pitchers the servants had brought up just a little earlier. She poured some water into a glass, and walked back over to Nihlen. She put her other hand beneath his head, and helped him to sit up some. “all right, drink up.” She said, pouring the liquid slowly into his mouth.

  When he was finished, Marina laid his head back down. “What… What happened exactly?” She asked timidly, unsure of if she should have.

  “I couldn’t really explain it if I wanted to…” Nihlen said, closing his eyes. “It felt like I was gone for a very long time. I saw a lot of different things, and there was pain beyond imagination. But when it was finished, and I woke up, none of it had really happened…”

  “I think I should go have the Queen alerted. I am sure she will wish to see him.” Cal said, suddenly rising from the chair.

  Marina nodded, and brushed a lock of hair off of Nihlen’s face. I’m not sure exactly what you went through, but I can tell it was bad. Your eyes seem darker now, like they’ve seen things no one should…

  A tear rolled off her cheek, and landed on Nihlen’s face. His right eye opened once more, he looked over at her. “There is no reason for you to cry, Marina. Everything is all right now.” Nihlen said, smiling weakly up at her.

  “There’s no reason for you to keep that eye closed either.” Marina said, reaching down to wipe off the tear she had spilled on him.

  Slowly, his left eye opened, and he stared up at her with both eyes. His eye was as chilling as any other time, but she allowed it to wash over her, to share in his suffering. I won’t let you walk this Path alone.

  The door to the room suddenly opened, and Queen Raylia entered at a brisk pace, Cal shutting the door behind them.

  “How are you feeling, Prince Nihlen?” Raylia asked, moving next to the bed where Marina was standing.

  “I am starting to feel much better.” Nihlen said, looking over at her. “The fog is beginning to clear, and my body feels rested.”

  “Good, I am glad you were able to successfully merge the Eye of Kings into yourself. Now it is time to discuss our next step.” Queen Raylia said, looking around at everyone. “I am afraid I must start with the bad news. I am sure you came here seeking my help as Queen of Leoradan. I am afraid I can offer you no help. Even though what is happening in Askrah is a tragedy, I cannot just declare war and assert myself in the situation. I can prod the other nations in the direction of aiding Draven, but there is no way I can justify making a decision of war by myself. Whatever kind of force Rinh has raised, they crushed Draven with no resistance. That is going to make the other nations very nervous to get involved until they know more.”

  “So there is nothing you can do to help him?” Marina asked, starting to feel despair set in.

  “As Queen, no. But as a family friend, I do have a suggestion. It is a long shot, and I cannot guarantee it even has a chance of working. But other than waiting for the politics of the world to work out what will be done about this problem, it is the only other option.” Queen Raylia said.

  “I'm listening.” Nihlen said.

  “The only force large enough to combat an entire nation that isn’t bound by the same constraints as I am is Elharlia.” The Queen said.

  “Elharlia…” Nihlen said, thinking to when he had heard that. “The people who attacked Vel’s ship said they were from Elharlia…” Then he remembered from his studies.“You mean the lawless zone, Elharlia? The place removed from the maps, and swept under the rug by the civilized world?”

  “The place removed from maps? Lawless zone?” Cal asked, puzzled.

  “I think this will help me explain.” Queen Raylia said, as she began unrolling a bound up piece of paper. “This is a map of the world. This large island here is Askrah. To the east is a large landmass. This is the Tarlelian continent. Leoradan is located on this continent, here in the south. To the south of Askrah is another large landmass, known as the Helran continent. West of the Helran continent are two more large land masses, called the Crisclan and Sarisclan continents. Elharlia is also on the Tarlelian continent. However, it cannot be seen on this map.”

  “It can’t be seen on the map? Why would that be?” Cal asked.

  “Because it is the lawless zone. It is not a real nation, but instead was a massive penal colony. Nations with no room to jail criminals brought them to abandon them there. In the north here, where you see only ocean, the continent extends much further. The Alglican mountains, shown here on the northern coast, is the border of Elharlia. It is a massive mountain chain sprawling across the entire continent. It is nearly impossible to pass, and so it was quite easy to keep the criminals contained, and away from civilization. It does not exist on the maps because the world wishes to pretend it does not exist. Many frowned on the practice, and it was eventually abandoned altogether around two hundred and fifty years ago. Incidents involving them are kept closely guarded. Almost like Askrah is regarded these days, Elharlia is thought of almost as a fairy tale.” Nihlen said.

  “I can assure you Elharlia is anything but a fairy tale.” The Queen said. “It is also not necessarily a lawless zone. At least not since it was abandoned all that time ago. While most of the population are indeed cutthroats and criminals, there is one person in the country you could call the King. His name is Karishian Delmoore, the most wanted man in the world.”

  “You can’t be serious.” Nihlen said, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward. “If I may be so bold, I believe I can see your plan from here. You want us to travel north, up to where this map ends. There we will pass through to Elharlia. While in this nearly lawless land full of every type of criminal you can imagine, we are supposed to seek out the greatest criminal of them all, Karishian Delmoore. At that point, we are supposed to somehow convince the most wanted man in the world to aid us in the struggle against Rinh to save my homeland. Supposing I was somehow able to convince him, I would then have to ride into battle with him and his band of villains, wondering how far into the battle it would be before they stabbed me in the back.”

  “In so many words… Yes, that is basically my suggestion.” The Queen said, sounding perfectly calm.

  Marina looked down at the map, pondering the situation. It does sound rather crazy. She admitted to herself, staring down at the invisible land that did not show up on the map. A lawless land, led by the most wanted man in the world…

  “What exactly did this Karishian Delmoore person do to become the most wanted man in the wo
rld?” Marina asked.

  “He killed the entire royal family of the nation of Irazul, which is, or was rather, considered the most powerful nation of the continent of Crisclan. Twenty years ago, they were considered a great world power, rivaling both Draven and Leoradan. At this time, the man named Karishian Delmoore was unheard of. But one day he laid siege to the nation, completely isolating it from the outside world. Even to this day, no one is too sure of the details. Only that the battle raged for approximately a month, and when Karishian and his forces left the country, all of the royal family were dead. By the time this was discovered, he had fled with his forces to Elharlia. The danger presented by that nation is real, and even though the gravity of his crime was so great, he became untouchable. He has never been seen in the world since then, and rumors about what has become of him are countless. In truth, the world simply hangs in a balance, where Karishian hides in Elharlia, troubling the world no further. In exchange, the rest of the world keeps its secret about Elharlia, and avoids war with a crime of the past.”

  “Which brings me back to my original point.” Nihlen said, looking toward the Queen. “Even if I convinced this man to help me, there is no way I could trust him.”

  “Sometimes you have to work with people you don’t trust. If you fear he will stab you in the back, you just have to make sure it‘s guarded. If he plans to use you, just plan to use him back. Conventional methods will not work in this situation, and you must do what needs to be done. You are free to think about this decision to your heart's content. It is but one idea, and you are not obligated to accept it. Walk your own Path, Nihlen Draven. I have some business to attend to, and shall return shortly. Please think it over while you wait. If you wish, you are also more than welcome to accept sanctuary within my kingdom, and wait to see what the rest of the world decides.” The Queen said, rolling her map up before exiting the room.

  Marina watched the Queen as she left, and then looked to Nihlen. “What do you think we should do next?”

  Nihlen sat quietly, staring at the table where the map had been. Marina watched him hesitantly, unsure of what to do next.

  “I think we should go to Elharlia.” Nihlen said, finally looking up from the table. “It seems unlikely anything will come of it, but I do not see any other options at this point in time. Waiting for the other nations of the world to come together to do something about it, even if they decided to, will take much too long. Our only option is to find a way to convince this Karishian Delmoore to aid us, though I can’t imagine what the price will be should he decide to…”

  To Elharlia… To the land of those who attacked us on Vel's ship. Marina pondered. I wonder if Nihlen is going to be all right. Having no options left to you except to seek the help of the most wanted man, and one who killed another royal family to boot. What are you thinking right now, Nihlen?

  “It is going to take quite a long time to reach this place.” Cal said, standing from his chair. “We are on the southern end of the continent, and we have to go all the way north. What will we do for supplies and transportation?”

  “I am sure the Queen will see that we are taken care of.” Marina said, settling further into her chair. “Now that we have come to a decision, the Queen will be more than willing to give us anything we may need.”

  From there, the conversation tapered off, and everyone waited quietly. After a while, Marina moved to stand at the window, staring out over the city. They were very high up, and it was difficult to see much. The picture at large though, the capital city sprawled out before her, was breath taking. She remained there at the window, watching the time slowly pass by, until the Queen finally re-entered the room, just as the sun was setting.

  “Prince of Draven, have you come to a decision?” She asked.

  “I have.” Nihlen said, standing from his seat. His back was straight, and he stood proudly. Marina couldn‘t help but notice the regal air he gave off as he looked at the Queen. “We shall seek the aid of Karishian Delmoore. From here we travel to Elharlia, to begin reclaiming my kingdom, and saving my family.”

  The air in the room suddenly grew heavy with his declaration, carrying the weight of his fate and determination.

  Chapter 11

  Make Your Way, One Step at a Time