Bridget, Selene and Anna were once Ergkinoa, until they were given to him as sacrifice. They had been raised since childhood here, and taught the history of the kingdom and its many contradictory, superstitious laws. Here they were allowed to pursue a weapon of choice, and were able to learn that one in exclusion to the smattering of other weapons that the normal military were trained in. Other than daggers, they had a weapon they trained with every day for years.
It suddenly made sense where they would have known an archer of great skill. Endrance watched as the two moved to the center of the room, deigning to stay standing near the door. Since he was there, they could speak with his authority and the general population could not ignore them.
“Sisters.” Selene said, smiling at them. “The Spengur comes in search of Tanya.”
An elderly woman entered from an adjoining room. She looked to be on the verge of panic as she addressed Selene, her wrinkled demeanor showing fearful respect.
“You’ve returned with the Spengur, Selene.” The woman replied. “Does that mean he’s chosen?”
Selene looked back at Endrance quizzically. Endrance shrugged, frowning. She turned back to the elder and nodded. “Yes, owl-mother.” She replied. “He needs Tanya’s skill and bow.”
A murmur arose from around the room as several of the Ergkinoa exchanged quiet words. The elder frowned, her many wrinkles enhancing her sorrowful expression. “But…”
Bridget stepped forward. “Look, the Spengur says he needs the help of the most skilled archer we have and last I knew, Tanya was still that person. Am I wrong?”
“Well… no.” the elder replied.
“Then we need her help!” Bridget exclaimed. “We have enemies at the gates, with mages on their side, and the Spengur needs her help to fight them off.”
The elder looked grim as she considered. “This is a hard thing you demand of me.” She stated. Endrance watched the exchange with a growing sense of concern. “If it is how you say, then Tanya is going to her death.” The elder shook her head. “I will have the other prospects prepared for when you return again.”
Endrance pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and stepped forward. “Wait a minute.” He exclaimed. “She’s not going to her death; I need her. Today. I know she’s not going to be as experienced as a soldier would be, but I can’t trust any archer in the military to do exactly what I say when I say it. Please. At least let me talk to her, and see if she will agree to go with me.”
“That’s not the problem.” The elder replied. “She will inevitably have to go if you demand, and we cannot stop you from demanding her of us, as is your right. But we have no king, and cannot perform the ceremony of sacrifice without the king to allow it.”
“I don’t want her to be sacrificed to me!” Endrance exclaimed. “I just need her help!”
The elder shook her head. “The Ergkinoa do not serve the Spengur like the Draugnoa do, unless they are a sacrifice. I believed you were here to replace your lost woman, as is tradition.”
Endrance glanced at Bridget, then to Selene. The look in their eyes told him that they had told him about this rule and he had completely forgotten about it.
“So you’re telling me, that in order to get any help from anyone other than the two women I have with me and my bodyguard, I need to have them sacrificed to me?”
“Yes.”
“And how many of these sacrifices am I supposed to demand of you?”
“You must have at least three, though some Spengur in the past have had as many as twelve.”
Endrance opened his eyes, incredulous. “Twelve?” he asked, shocked.
“It was a dark time for the people of Balator.” She said.
Endrance rubbed at his temples. “Look, I really can’t in good conscience take her away from you. I didn’t expect to have the Draugnoa in service to me in the first place, and now knowing what they give up I have even less inclination to ask for another.”
“You must.” The elder woman said. “It is law.”
“Remind me.” Endrance asked of Bridget. “What difference is there between law and tradition here?”
Bridget half shrugged. “In this case, nothing.”
“Damn.” Endrance cursed. “So I have to pick another.”
“Yes.” Bridget replied.
Endrance threw his hands up and paced back and forth, his anxiety increasing with his understanding of how little time he had left. He needed to do something now, or accept that he’d wasted hours he could have used setting up magic for the fight that was coming. Why hadn’t he just sent Selene to go retrieve an archer? She could probably have found someone who could help!
He looked up, and could immediately see that the women in the room had shied away from him. He had been scowling and his hands were clenched into fists. They had probably thought him on the verge of violence.
He forced himself to take a steadying breath. “All right.” He said, “Is Tanya here?”
“Aye.” The old woman replied, swallowing.
“I wish to speak to her.” Endrance said. “Please have her come forward.”
Several of the women parted, not wanting to draw his ire, no matter how false their impressions of his temper were. The woman who stepped forward looked merely concerned.
Easily six foot tall, Tanya had waves of blond hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. She was attractive and excellently muscled, with freckled skin drawn taut over a strong, yet feminine frame. Endrance should not have been surprised, but she was also taller and stronger than he ever would be. Her face was pretty, the freckles making an otherwise ordinary appearance seem like something more.
“I’m Tanya.” The woman said, her voice had a strange lilt to it that Endrance had only heard a few times when he was taking visitors as Spengur. “What is it you need?”
Endrance would have to ask about that later. “I heard from Bridget that you’re the best archer she’s ever known.” He said. “Is that true?”
Tanya smirked. “She willingly admitted someone was better than her?”
“Well, you are now!” Bridget exclaimed. “I can’t be going about doing much shooting with only one arm, you know?”
Tanya rolled her eyes. “High praise from her.”
“So you are?” Endrance asked.
“I’m the only Ergkinoa who took up archery in this generation, so yeah I’ve had the practice grounds to myself the last fifteen years or so.” She said with a hint of pride in her voice.
“So then you can fire an arrow under tough conditions, or from far away?”
“If I can see it, I can hit it.” Tanya boasted.
“And your life here.” Endrance began. “Are you okay with it ending, right now? Are you willing to give it up in service to me for the rest of your life?”
Her bravado faltered. “I…” Tanya trailed off, unable to answer directly.
“It’s okay if you can’t. You can tell me; I won’t bite.” Endrance stated. “No matter what those two may have said.” He jerked his thumb over at the two Draugnoa. Bridget snorted derisively, but remained silent.
Tanya smiled slightly at that exchange and sighed. “We were all trained with this possibility in mind, that the Spengur could arrive any day and then we would be dead.” She glanced over at the young girls staring wide eyed at the wizard from behind the legs of their elders. “There is even a game as children where you hid from the ‘Spengur,’ but if you were caught you had to help them find the others.”
They had a form of hide and seek based around his position. It made sense, but like any other example of their culture, it pegged him as the bad guy. Endrance rolled his eyes. “Of course. Which is what my Draugnoa did here today.”
“Yes.” Tanya said, giving Bridget a glare.
“So are you unwilling to join me?” Endrance asked. He wanted to give her the chance to back out, but he really needed her help.
Tanya turned to glance at Selene and Bridget before turning to him. “You know,
we are the only ones the Draugnoa can talk to without stigma.” she said. “And I’ve heard conflicting stories from them about you.”
Endrance glanced at them, Selene turned her head and Bridget smirked at him directly.
“You don’t say.” Endrance said, his tone flat.
“Yes.” Tanya said. “On one hand, I’ve heard it said you were dangerous and terrifying, and on the other hand, someone who really does care for his people. So which is it?”
Endrance could recall the times he’d been confronted with the reality of his own terrible power. “Both.” He admitted. “I can be both a protector and a force of destruction against those that harm the ones I care about.”
Tanya nodded, but shortly after shook her head. “I am not willing to join you.” She replied. “Please do not be angry at us.”
Endrance sighed. He had expected about as much, but still, being proven correct was enough of a letdown for him. He nodded. “Thank you. I will return when I have more time to discuss it, but I must hurry if I’m going to be of any help.”
He left without looking back, leaving his two Draugnoa behind as he went out to the horses. He could hear the two talking with the sudden clamor of female voices, perhaps trying to convince one to join them, perhaps trying to smooth things over. He had always had a hard time telling when he’d done something offensive.
He sat down on the cold stone step and sunk his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. The faint drift of snow from above fell silently around him. The conversation behind shortly fell into bickering, and Endrance sighed and rolled his eyes. What was wrong with him these days? He had been doing everything wrong.
He picked his chin up and looked up into the snow laden clouds in the sky. Snowflakes drifted down, completely unaware that in a few hours, the city itself might be burning, covered in the dead and dying. He didn’t have the strength to fight those mages alone, and now his feebly thought up plan wouldn’t even come into fruition.
The clouds above stirred and a rumble echoed across the mountainside. Endrance watched a ripple as something disturbed the surface of the clouds. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt the tingle of magic being used coming close. The mage shot to his feet, preparing his wards as he walked away from the stone house.
Something tiny and swift darted past his face, causing him to jerk back in surprise. Looking about, he didn’t see it again until it stopped directly in front of him with a titter of laughter. Endrance blinked at it for a moment before recognizing the storm sprite he had sent. It bobbed in the air as it hovered in front of him, holding some kind of leaf wrapped package the size of an egg.
“Well, hello there.” He said, “Does this mean you sent your message?”
The little sprite danced about in the air, nodding. It held out the package to him and Endrance took it without hesitation. The creature looked somewhat tired. The package felt light for its size, but it was firm underneath the leaf, like a rock. Endrance sincerely hoped that it wasn’t a rock.
“Very well, I don’t have anything for you to do, so you can return home now.” He said.
The storm sprite spontaneously erupted into a little puff of clouds and a tiny cascade of sparks, vanishing. Endrance blinked at the dispersion and sneezed at the cloud of ozone.
The door to the building behind them swung open and Bridget exited, skidding to a stop when she spotted Endrance standing in the middle of the street. She scowled as she walked over to him.
“I misjudged them.” She said, shaking her head. “I thought that we would be able to gain her assistance.”
“You knew the laws.” Endrance said in response without looking back. “You know them far better than I could. How am I to believe they would conveniently forget some of them just now?”
Bridget’s scowl turned to anger. “I didn’t-”
“Do you think I am ready to replace Anna so quickly?” he asked, interrupting. “I know I’d only known her for a few months, but-”
This time Bridget interrupted him, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him to face her. Then she punched him in the face as hard as she could. Endrance rocked back, stumbling on the flagstones and falling onto his back, blood flowing from his nose and lip as his head reeled from the blow. The little package fell out of his hand into the snow as he stumbled.
“God’s damn it, man!” She shouted. “I know Anna was important! We miss her loss all the more every day we come back to this place! But you had a chance to save us and if another Draugnoa is what was needed, it was my duty to bring her to you!” her voice rose in volume when she said duty, her face reddening with anger.
“I have to suck up my problems and press on, and you do too!” she raged, her clenched fist a warning to the stunned mage to stay down. “I know you mean well, but you’ve got things twisted up and we can’t afford that right now! Not when we’ve hordes of the dead outside our gates and magic users preparing to tear us down to the last stone!”
Endrance’s vision swam as he took in what she was saying. Selene had been quietly waiting just outside the door of the building, while several little girls crowded the open door frame with wide eyes. The elder looked like she was about to have a heart attack, surprise paralyzing her weathered face.
“Now, they won’t give her up until they can perform the ceremony. So we have to find another way, not sit around whining about what issues we all have! We have lives to save; so let’s save them and worry about this shit after! You have to think clearly now, so swallow whatever problems you have and deal with it later, if there is one!”
Endrance stared up at her. He had been startled, but on some level he was not surprised. He had dealt with her in much the same way before, and violence was how she could effectively express herself. Still, he didn’t remember her being able to hit quite that hard.
He sighed, wiping blood from his nose. “You’ve gotten more… persuasive since the last time we had a talk like this.” He said. His voice was clear and unwavering.
Bridget nodded. “I knew you could ‘talk’ to me on this level, so I didn’t hold back.”
Endrance held out a hand to her, and she helped him to his feet. Checking his teeth with his tongue and finding them all still intact, he muttered a quick healing spell before wiping the blood off his face. The girls inside the hall gasped as he worked the simple magic, healing the damaged blood vessels from the punch. He wiped up his face with his sleeve absentmindedly, only then noticing how the blood tiger’s fur seemed proof against it, since his blood refused to soak into the furs.
The mage looked back up to her and nodded. “You are right. I don’t have time to worry about this stuff; I’ve gotten too caught up in what’s going on, and I’ve lost sight of what I need to do.”
Bridget nodded. “Good. I don’t want to have this conversation with you again.”
Endrance recalled the last time he had said that to her and laughed. “But I like foreplay.” He joked with a smile. “Let’s go see what we can do about the siege then.”
Bridget noticed the leafy ball on the snow and bent down, reaching to pick it up. “What’s this?” she asked.
Endrance saw the thing rattle as her hand got close to it and yelped, grabbing her shoulder as his hand shot down and grabbed it before she could touch it. “Whoa!” he exclaimed. “I just got that. Let me look at it before anyone else goes touching it.”
On the outside of the leaf package, an elven symbol had been written which Endrance did not fully understand. He could swear it meant ‘branch,’ but it could also mean ‘arm’ in the right context. He peeled off the outer layer of leaf to reveal what he thought was a strangely shaped peach pit. The natural ridges and grooves of the pit came to the bottom where the shell formed a sharp point like a needle with two shorter points flanking it on either side.
“Well?” Bridget asked. “What is it?”
Endrance couldn’t figure what kind of reply it had been. What was Valzoa trying to tell him? He sighed and sho
ved the seed in his pocket. “Just some seed, it seems.” Endrance replied. “But it might be something I can study. Valzoa sent it for a reason, and maybe that is to have some life magic to learn from. Hells, for all I know, staring at a seed is how life magic is taught in his country.”
“So it might help with my arm?” Bridget asked hopefully.
Endrance nodded as he gestured to Selene. “Maybe.”
Selene joined them and Endrance rode in silence the rest of the way back down the mountain. The trip had been a bust, but not entirely without success. They at least had found someone with talent, now they had to solve this siege. Endrance had the nagging feeling that he was at fault somewhere for the events that were occurring. The dead King Rothel had no reason to lie to him, nor would he be able to if he wanted; the dead can’t change their ways. If they were an honest person at the time they died, they remained so for the rest of their existence in death. Like a painting of a person, the dead got older and dustier, but the image was set unless another painter altered it.
If what Rothel had said was true, then perhaps his solution was also significant. Endrance had not taken the time to think about what he meant when he had inferred the wolfmen were citizens of the barbarian kingdoms, but he would have to figure it out later to make sure the dead ones didn’t ruin the kingdom on their own.
Endrance turned to the two women riding alongside him. “Bridget, Selene.” He started. “I need you two to split up and find the other two candidates for king as of the moment. Tell them the Spengur demands their presence at the great gates of Balator before the sun sets. I will explain when everyone is there.”
Bridget and Selene glanced at him quizzically for only a moment before they leapt their horses into action. “Oh and Selene!” Endrance called out as they left. She glanced over her shoulder as she rode away. “Don’t forget to grab that stupid outfit I was supposed to have for the Ascension!”
She nodded and turned down another road out of sight. Endrance saw a shadow fall over him, and looked up to see Gullin drifting down on spread wings. Endrance held out an arm for the familiar to perch on and continued his way down, knowing that he needed to talk to Balen first. The whole of the trip down, he had the nagging sensation he was being watched, but he could not see anyone. Gullin hadn’t detected anything strange, but he also felt that he was being followed. It wouldn’t be hard to follow him from a distance on the empty streets and open stretches of road. Endrance just hoped he had seen the last of the assassin and she no longer had her sights set on him.
Spellscribed: Ascension Page 24