Bitter Wars- Ashes

by Kerriann Burns

  ‘The journey will be long, I’ve never been up the mountains before, is it nice here?’ a male voice echoed but was followed by silence. ‘Your father isn’t here anymore you are allowed to talk to me.’ The voice sighed. ‘I give you permission.’

  ‘I was ordered to talk to no man other than my father, brothers and my waiting husband.’ A young woman’s voice replied.

  ‘Are you trying to get yourself killed?’ another man’s voice shouted. The first voice scoffed.

  ‘My name’s Xander, while your future husband and your father isn’t here I’m in charge, alright?’ his voice was kind, the kind of voice that once you heard it you knew it belonged to a friendly person, he sounded young but still a man, the woman on the other hand sounded much more like a young girl, just barely touching puberty.

  The elderly mage’s eyes flickered open once more as he gently touched the feather with his fingertips and realised where he was, he saw the pair just about to leave the study and he snapped to his senses.

  ‘Wait!’ Adonia looked over her shoulder. ‘What creature is this?’

  ‘Since the attack at my home this crow has followed me in times of danger, this is the first time it has ever come into contact with me.’

  ‘This animal is not of this mortal world, it is a spirit or tied to one at the very least, does the name Xander mean anything to you?’

  ‘Not at all.’

  ‘It gave me a vision of a young man, he spoke to a woman that gave no name, it was almost as if he was taking her somewhere…To her future husband?’

  ‘A spirt has followed me also that’s accompanied by the crow, I can never see his face, but he’s like nothing I have ever seen.’

  ‘Such as?’ she approached him and took the bangle from a pouch in her side.

  ‘He has old tattoos and tribal markings I have never seen, similar to this.’ She handed the bangle to him. ‘The crow showed us the location to this in the mountains, all I know is its ancient Alexandrian.’ He examined the bangle and was instantly brought into another vision, yet this was more painful.

  It was if he was the holder of the bangle, he could make out young feminine arms tearing off the bangle and hiding it under the rocks before desperately trying to run away but was quickly caught.

  ‘Daughter!’ a loud voice yelled which made her quickly turn around and look at the floor.

  ‘Y-yes father.’

  ‘What are you- Where is your bangle?!’

  ‘I-I lost it father.’

  ‘Stupid girl!’ she was violently struck across the face by this behemoth of a man. ‘That is your proof that you are unmarried and virginal, you are supposed to be married as soon as you arrive to the south!’

  ‘But…B-but father I do not wish to marry this man.’ She was struck again but this time it was so hard it sent her to the rocky floor.

  ‘You have no choice in the matter, as you are my daughter you marry who I tell you! He’s a strong ally and it gives us ties to the south, how are you supposed to explain how you lost your bangle?’

  ‘It broke father!’

  ‘You look like a whore to your future husband! Is that how you want to look? Like a whore?!’ he began to beat the young girl and the vision finally ended.

  It was a known fact that some mages had the ability to see fragments of memories that belonged to individuals, especially if they had a strong tie to the item in life, whether that be a good or bad tie.

  ‘This item has a very strong tie to the Spirit Realm, particularly the young woman who owned it, I recognise this piece…Very unfortunate object.’ He sighed which urged Adonia to press on.

  ‘It’s not just a piece of jewellery?’

  ‘No, such bangles were given to girls when they were born it indicated what clan they belonged to…In case they tried to run away so they could be returned.’

  ‘That’s barbaric.’

  ‘Different times back then, women were objects; most commonly bargaining chips between clan leaders, only when a girl was married off her husband would break the bangle indicating that she was no longer a virgin therefore his property. The vision I had it seemed the girl was trying to run away but was caught by her father who beat her savagely.’

  ‘And this was normal?’

  ‘Unfortunately for the times yes, in the times before Alexander was a united country we all lived in tribes more savages than people, I guess you could also say it was Alexander himself who gave us a united civilisation.’ Adonia gave a soft sigh as she stared at the bangle, thinking what would it be like if nothing changed, if she was going to be forced to marry, but then she remembered Greymire how her father had already given his blessing, yet as much as the thought haunted her she had her business for being here.

  ‘Will you assist us?’

  ‘Hmm…’ he cupped his chin that was hidden by his beard. ‘I will have to discuss it with the council, these are fragile times and an uprising? However, the day is starting to fade, feel free to stay until the morrow, I’ll have bed chambers readied for each of you.’

  ‘That won’t be necessary, we share.’ The old man gawked at the couple, he only thought they were traveling companions, that was troubling enough, but lovers?

  ‘I-I.’ he didn’t know how to compose himself.

  ‘I am with this man regardless of whether or not he’s an elf, illegal or not, I don’t care what others views are on us.’

  ‘Forgive me but while these are your views, I must ask that you remain separate for the evening.’ The pair gave each other a quick glance but gave no response. He gave a quick nod before walking towards the door and the pair were quick to follow, no doubt to be shown to their rooms. The mages continued to stare as they walked past, stares they were both slowly becoming accustomed to.

  After walking up a spiral staircase the mage stopped at a door and addressed Adonia.

  ‘This will be your room.’ She peered behind the large wooden door to a basic bedroom, but it was better than camping out in the wilderness.

  ‘Thank you.’ Adonia gave Fenrir a quick glance before he continued to follow the mage to his own chambers. As she walked into the room properly the crow flew down from her shoulder onto the wooden bed knob. She sat down at looked at the creature. ‘So, your name is Xander?’ the crow only began to preen its feathers. She gave a quick exhale from her nose and looked forward. ‘Xander…Never heard of anyone called Xander before, old name maybe?’ the crow’s silence continued which made Adonia raise her eyebrow. ‘You’ve spoken before, you told me to run once, why the silence?’ again the crow only replied with preening. The trip had taken a toll on her body, she ached and was tired, so she took this time to sleep. It was difficult for her as she hadn’t slept without Fenrir by her side since they made amends, he became a comforter for her. He was her anchor that showed that she was not in that prison anymore, whenever she woke up terrified she would be back in that nightmare Fenrir was always there, his arm wrapped around her. She couldn’t sleep. Adonia tossed and turned until she thought she saw the handle of the door slowly beginning to turn. Adonia shot up from her bed, ready to grab her sword by her bedside, but as the door opened it was no threat as the white hair shone against the faint candlelight.

  ‘Fenrir.’ She smiled as she gave a sigh of relief. He smiled as he came into the room and quietly closed the door behind himself then prepared to get undressed. ‘They will be so mad once they find out you’re in here.’

  ‘Do I look like I care?’

  ‘No.’ she smiled as he crept into the single bed with her and held her close.

  ‘Are you sure that was such a good idea to tell them we were together? Won’t that hurt your cause?’

  ‘Just as much as lying to their faces, I will not give them a ruse just to put me in their favour, a real leader tells the truth to their followers, even if it is hard sometimes.’

  ‘And to think.’ He pressed his head close to her ear. ‘When we first met you were a terrified noble that could barely hold her own.’
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  ‘And you were a complete asshole that wanted to kill me.’

  ‘Never wanted to kill you, you were the one always itching for a fight, I thought you’d keep out of trouble, but then again I did hear small ones tend to be feistier.’

  ‘Oh, shut up Fen.’ She sniggered as she lightly elbowed him but then soon sank into his embrace then intertwined her fingers into his.

  Even through their jokes Fenrir could tell at this point she simply needed him by her side, she never slept in the dark anymore there always had to be at least one candle by her bedside. Even though she had grown to be fierce it was always the night where she would be at her most vulnerable, in the rare times of sleep she would always suffer night terrors, he knew she tried to act strong but he could tell the real damage they did to her, just like they did to him many years ago. The hardest truth was of course losing her son, if the torture didn’t break her then that thought certainly did. Fenrir noticed she would never speak of it, but this fuelled the fire in her to fight, she knew revenge could never bring those she loved back but she would die trying to get the justice that all of her family and friends deserved.

  In the evening the council of the magi gathered in a huge room and sat around a golden circular table with a remarkable map of Alexander in the centre. It was if they were the Divine looking down on the world, mountains rose from the map, little clouds formed and moved with the non-existent breeze. Rain fell over Nebine, and true to the map it rained in the real world, but there was a bigger threat as they noticed the southern lands of Alexander growing black like an ink blot falling onto paper.

  ‘These are dire times.’ Elmond said to the others. ‘South Realm was completely overrun, the Tainted has advanced north at an alarming rate, if we do nothing then it won’t be long until they are at our gates.’

  ‘We have our magic to protect us.’

  ‘It didn’t protect our brave men at South Realm did it?’ the other mage was silenced. ‘But we have a much more urgent matter to discuss, the guests within our walls.’

  ‘You are certain that it is Adonia Hardgrave?’

  ‘There is no doubt about it, it is her.’

  ‘Then surely the best course of action is to escort her to Nebine to take her rightful place as queen.’

  ‘I’m afraid it’s not that simple.’ He informed the group of Adonia’s story, Kinlan and Griffiths’ betrayal. The faces of the magi contorted and snarled in expressions of disbelief and disgust.

  ‘That’s preposterous.’ A mage waved his hand. ‘Kinlan has served this country proudly for years, why would he suddenly try to overtake the throne?’

  ‘Power is a dangerous thing, Kinlan was in the front lines at the Great War, many of us were and many of us still remember being under Reckson rule.’ Some of the elderly mages gave acknowledging grunts. ‘There was no denying that she was tortured, the markings she showed me were just a fraction of the damage to her body.’

  ‘But you expect us to have an uprising against the king? If we were to lose then every mage in this college would be slaughtered like animals.’

  ‘I tire of having to send young men to the ships only to have them killed before they reach the soil, Reckson has us surrounded, the Tainted has us pinned, I feel as if we have no choice but to act.’

  ‘No army has ever survived a Bitter War…’ The mages chatted to each other trying to decide. The mages had always lived in near solitude from the world outside of the mountains and only acted when called upon, this was dangerous for them and their limited race. ‘I know this is risky, but no matter what happens our lives are on the line, if Adonia was to fail we are at the mercy of Kinlan and Reckson, but if we continue to do nothing then we will be at the mercy of the Tainted…We must at least try.’

  The next morning Fenrir awoke to an empty bed but saw Adonia dressed but awkwardly stretching.

  ‘Your skin’s tight isn’t it?’ she quickly looked over her shoulder and gave a sigh of acknowledgement. ‘My back is the worst…’ she said as she continued to stretch her back out.

  ‘You’re still healing, you’ll get used to it.’ Fenrir rose out of the bed and placed his hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t overdo yourself.’

  ‘Hmm.’ she smiled as she took his hand. ‘I appreciate the concern but at this point Fen I don’t have a choice, all of Alexander is at war and someone needs to put a stop to it.’ She gave a sigh, but Fenrir could see something else was troubling her.

  ‘Something on your mind?’

  ‘The twins, I had no idea about their linage. They hardly ever used their magic, yet the mages here are terrified of them.’

  ‘Maybe they were just that powerful.’ She gave a nod but wanted to know more, perhaps the elder knew more than just the brief tale they were told.

  The pair left the room with the crow perched on Adonia’s shoulder once more and made their way to the centre of the college. The mages continued to gawk and observe the newcomers but daren’t to approach them, Adonia leant against a marble pillar with her arms crossed waiting for the elderly mage and his response.

  ‘Lady Hardgrave?’ she looked over and saw the mage she waited for, she pushed herself off from the pillar and approached.

  ‘Your answer?’

  ‘The council and I have discussed it while we are nervous about our position with Kinlan and the Tainted we agreed we cannot sit and wait for the slaughter; we will send as many mages as we are able.’ Adonia gave a small smile with his acceptance then held out her hand for him to shake.

  ‘When this is all over, I will make sure the mages will be known for their contribution.’

  ‘Some of my men will join you back on your travels, then when we are ready, we will send more to you.’

  ‘Smaller groups the better, travellers come and go frequently from the village, but a huge group will attract attention.’

  ‘As you wish.’

  ‘There is something else I wish to ask you.’

  ‘Of course, my lady.’

  ‘You knew of the twin mages, can you elaborate their story anymore, like why are you so terrified of them they were just children?’ he gave a heavy sigh then a nod.

  ‘As I told you they were born of magical means, their parents were powerful enough as it was, but they must of known the risks. You see, while blood magic is almost a guarantee of conception, the strength of the magic is often too powerful for the unborn to manage. We’ve never known a child to survive birth, except for those two. Whether or not it was fate they were born as twins, their magic perfectly divided. You see mages are born with their parents powers, for example their mother was a profound healer and their father was exceptional in elemental magic such as fire, normally a child usually takes after one of their parents traits, in some rare cases they have a blend of the magic but it’s nowhere near as powerful as the parents. I noticed Ivory took after his mother and Ebony his father. When a mage hits the peak of their magical abilities there’s usually an element that they are best suited for, like Ivory with healing and Ebony-.’

  ‘With fire.’

  ‘Precisely.’ Both Adonia and Fenrir raised their eyebrow at the strange genetics of mages, none of them realised how complex it actually was.

  ‘I never realised magic was so complicated.’

  ‘It never used to be.’ He chuckled. ‘Long ago certain magic only bred with certain magic, healers to healers etcetera. It was almost like being a purebred pedigree, but as you can imagine over time, we could no longer continue to keep these ways.’ Adonia gave a slow nod of agreement. ‘Those two showed their magical abilities as soon as they were born, at first we thought it was because of their parents, but the day of the fire…Even grown adults don’t have that kind of power. That’s why we feared them, because they were only children with such abilities, the Divine could only imagine what they were capable of as men.’

  ‘But was it such a good idea to banish them?’

  ‘We all feared them, their parents knew the danger. They didn’t even resis
t when we told them their punishment, they accepted wholeheartedly…Which made it all the more difficult for us to force them away.’ It made more sense to Adonia now, maybe they were scared or ashamed of their own power hence why they never used it unless absolutely necessary. It wasn’t just an act of a pacifist; they knew how dangerous they could be.

  As they prepared to set off a small group of no more than six mages went to join them, some young some old but their powers were equal. They set up camp after hours of travelling through the mountains, Adonia knew in order to be a leader she needed to gain the trust of her new followers.

  ‘I know we have travelled long today, but I never got a chance to get any of your names.’ The small group of mages remained silent for a moment before answering her each with their names. ‘Forgive me but, you all seem afraid of us.’

  ‘Not afraid.’ One of the older mages sparked up. ‘Just…Everyone thought the Hardgrave line was lost only for you to come back from the dead, we’re more in shock and with the news of Kinlan, Griffiths…Its shaken our world.’

  ‘Even when you live in solitude?’ Fenrir asked as he leaned his arm on his propped knee.

  ‘Mages have served Alexander since he found us in the mountains, a mage of the council was one of the healers for Queen Iona but…Even his magic couldn’t save her.’

  ‘Powerful poison was used against her, Kinlan used it to keep her bedridden, keep her quiet to the news of her husband’s death. She was just another obstacle in Kinlan’s way to the throne.’ The group remained silent, Adonia could see that they still seemed uneasy, yet she could understand; although they were extremely powerful, they were isolated from the outside world and of course there was the fear of Kinlan and the Tainted’s wrath.

  Chapter 10

  We’re ready

  The entire village continued to work together in order to take the Griffiths castle to Adonia’s plan. The mages integrated well, the villagers were more fascinated than afraid by the mages and their powers, and like the magi promised small groups came to the village with each passing day. A lot of the younger mages were eager for the fight, no doubt excited to be in the outside world, they showed no fear of the hardened men of the village, but fascination at the foreign men just outside their doors. Many also took fascination with Fenrir with him being the only elf for miles, many tried to greet him in broken elvish and learn of his elven ways of life but were soon disappointed to learn he was more human than anything.