“And if no one listens?” Gavina asked.
“Then all is lost, and the races will perish,” Caedmon said. “We must convince them; that is our only chance. Do all you can, and Ireli and I will join you as soon as I am able. Once I have spoken to Kvaran, I will find you.”
Treasach showed a new, serious side. “Very well then. Our defense will be at Lesley. I hope to see you all there. Good luck.”
The prince hugged Ireli and Aili. He shook Ehreion’s and Caedmon’s hands. Finally, he ended with Leith. He looked at the healer for a moment, then grabbed the healer’s head. Treasach pulled it close to his chest and tightly hugged it.
“I am going to miss you.” He faked a sniffle in a friendly jest as he enjoyed their banter. “Be good.”
Then he released Leith from the tight hold, saw the healer’s ruffled hair, and snickered as he walked away.
Leith scowled and grumbled as the prince left.
Gavina followed the prince, and they departed from the group, disappearing into the southern tree line.
Ireli said her farewells next. She had a long journey ahead of her. She departed southwest toward the disarrayed human villages.
“What about us?” Aili turned to Caedmon just as the wolf guardian was about to leave.
Caedmon looked at the healers and thought for a moment. “Go to Lesley. Collect and prepare all the medical supplies you can. The people will need the best healers in the land when the war starts.”
He started to walk away, but Aili stopped him again. “Caedmon? Are you not happy that I am an Ikalreev mage? You do not seem as happy as you did when you found Ehreion and Ireli.”
He looked into her eyes. “I am happy I found you. I am happy you can help me and help the races. I did not mean to appear cold.” He hesitated. “It is not you.”
He looked off to the side. “I failed my purpose. I failed my creators. I was meant to stop what happened. Now, we can only hope to survive and to save as many as we can. So I am happy you are an Ikalreev mage because you can help protect others. I only wish I had found you sooner.”
The weary wolf waited while looking into her eyes, hoping the explanation would suffice for now.
Aili nodded.
Caedmon sadly smiled and walked away. Ehreion followed him, and they walked toward the southeastern road. That road would lead them back to the dwarven lands.
It did not take long for Caedmon and Ehreion to fade from view, leaving three behind in the glade.
Aili looked at Waremasu and asked, “What are your plans?”
Waremasu’s left hand extended out of the cloak and proceeded to write orange script in the air with the end of his index finger. I will search for your friend.
“Faolan?” Aili’s spirit lifted. “Can we come with you?”
It will be too dangerous, he wrote.
“Do you believe he is still alive?”
Waremasu nodded.
“If you find him, will you bring him back to me?” Hope filled her heart.
Waremasu hesitated. He might not be the same person you knew.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
They will torture him.
“What, why?” She began to cry. “You must save him! He does not deserve to be tortured. He is good at heart and has done nothing wrong.”
Waremasu’s hat dipped as he lowered his head.
“Please save him! Bring him back to me. I love him,” Aili said.
He lifted his head. I will find him.
“Bring him back to me,” she whimpered.
He nodded.
She quieted down and wiped away her tears.
Leith waited a moment for her to calm. He rocked on his feet and tapped a finger against his leg as he gathered the courage to ask a question that had been on his mind.
“Are you a Falcarna wizard?” he asked.
The conical hat swiveled back and forth.
“What are you, then?” Leith wondered, plagued by curiosity. “You do things that I have never heard of before.”
Waremasu did not answer.
“I do not mean any offense; you have helped us and once hurt Faolan. But let us brush that aside for a moment. We still do not understand who or what you are, and I do not know why you helped my sister,” he said.
Aili glanced unkindly at Leith for his questioning.
“Just trying to understand.” Leith nervously grinned back. “You feared him, too, before you woke up here. We know almost nothing about him.”
Aili glanced at Waremasu, then back to her brother, before saying, “Yes, but now is not the time. He protected me when he did not have to. I trust him for now.”
“Well, I do not,” he whispered to her.
“He can hear you,” she whispered back. “We will talk later about this.”
“Fine.” He eyed the motionless figure.
Aili then looked back at Waremasu. “Which way are you going?”
Waremasu pointed to the north.
“You will return to the seal?” she said.
The hat tipped forward.
“Very well, then, be safe. Thank you for saving me and for finding Faolan,” she said.
Waremasu nodded, then disappeared in an instant. A rush of wind followed in his wake.
“Wow!” Leith exclaimed. “Where did he go?”
“North, I assume.” She shrugged.
“He is much more powerful than we ever could be; I think Faolan will be all right.” He rested a hand on her shoulder.
“I hope you are right.” Aili relaxed and hugged her brother for comfort.
With everyone gone, the twins decided to depart as well. They slipped into the southern tree line, leaving no one in the glade, at least to their knowledge.
A Drey’kan slowly emerged out of thin air as its skin changed, no longer blending in with its environment; the iridescent, purplish-black skin became partially visible. It peered after the twins with its metallic eyes.
The Drey’kan had listened to their entire conversation.
It looked up at the glowing glyphs on the western cliff face above the trials. The Drey’kan understood the Ikalreev magic had failed. Even though it was a Drey’kan, a part of it had hoped the Ikalreev magic would succeed. It had recently heard rumors that the Drey’kan were at fault for setting these events in motion.
The four glyphs glowed bright with their specific colored lights, and Ikalreev script surrounded their base image: a dancing flame, a billowing gust of air, frozen waves, and a tree with a vest of vines though the emergence of the fourth’s magic had come too late, and the fifth was never found. The Drey’kan would take its newfound knowledge to the Drey’kan mother, their queen.
It faded back into its veil, disappearing and leaving the glade vacant.
Chapter 6
Fight or Flight
It is important to take care and caution when these three are near. They are enigmas beyond our realm. What they will bring to Verdunmull is a mystery, will they aid the mortals or harm them.
The Ikalreev Prophecies 8:18–20
Zauvek sucked in air as he raced through the forest, still panicking from seeing the archangel. He wondered why the angelic warrior had come and was confused by his protection. He knew he did not deserve divine defense and feared that the archangel would come for him next in payment for his betrayal.
He moved his feet swiftly down the sloping forest in the foothills below the Niyere Mountains. He cared not about the Drey’kan—they were no threat to him, in comparison to the righteous warrior who had rained down destruction at the seal.
Suddenly, Waremasu appeared several feet in front of Zauvek, and the old angel jumped back in fright. He grabbed his chest and skipped a breath.
A wind followed in his ally’s wake.
Zauvek caught his breath. “Would you stop doing that?”
Waremasu wrote in the air. Did you find him?
“No,” Zauvek said as he shook his head. “He was not there. But it does not matter; we sh
ould hurry south.”
Waremasu hesitated. Why? Razbijen was last seen in the north.
“Their group fled south; that is where we should go. Following them will be our best option. He is sure to turn up,” Zauvek said nervously.
What is wrong? You are acting unusual.
“It’s nothing. I am being normal. Razbijen is not at the seal.”
We should go back and see if we can track his movements. He was there with them; he would not have left their company willingly, Waremasu wrote.
“No, I am not going back!” Zauvek grew angry.
Waremasu stopped writing and tilted his head slightly as he watched Zauvek’s fidgeting movements. The stoic angel knew something had bothered the old one.
Zauvek lifted a hand as he watched his ally staring at him. “No! Do not pi—”
Waremasu moved with angelic speed and picked Zauvek up before he could finish his sentence. He carried Zauvek back to the seal’s ashen perimeter and finally saw what the stubborn old angel was so afraid of.
The archangel light-stepped repeatedly as his mighty scythe cleaved into dark flesh and burned black souls back to the underworld. The angelic warrior’s white clothing trailed his flashing form as the golden armor glistened in the morning sunlight.
Zauvek could see the mountainside that had exploded and collapsed from the archangel’s devastating attack as he fled from the heavenly authority. And his legs visibly wobbled in fright.
The archangel felt their presence and appeared before them, hovering in the air with flapping wings. The great scythe extended down before their faces.
“Fallen ones. Why have you returned?” the archangel roared with his heavenly voice.
Zauvek lifted his hands in fear, hoping to avoid his own destruction.
Waremasu wrote in the air. We are searching for Razbijen.
The archangel light-stepped away, cleaved several demons that emerged from the seal, and returned to his hovering position before them.
“He is not here,” the archangel said.
Waremasu nodded but wrote, You are right, but he was with the mortals who tried to stop the seal from opening. We wish only to track his movements.
“Your voice cannot harm me, Waremasu. Speak,” the archangel commanded.
“It looks like Razbijen’s tracks have been destroyed by your defense. Are you able to tell where he has gone?” Waremasu’s many voices echoed chaotically.
“Go west.” The archangel pointed his scythe to his right, toward the steep drop.
Demons began pouring out of the seal in a new rush of freedom from the dark abyss.
The archangel light-stepped away with a bright flash of light, his force crushing a dozen evil foot soldiers and sending dozens more flying haphazardly away from the shock wave. The archangel threw his scythe, and it sliced through multiple demons before they hit the ground. The archangel light-stepped out of his impact crater and instantly slammed several demons into the dirt, crushing their torsos and vanquishing their lives before catching his scythe on the opposite end of its trajectory. The massive angelic warrior’s power was terrifying to both Waremasu and Zauvek.
The two of them began walking toward the west and reached the descending drop. They glanced down the cliff face and saw nothing but snow and jagged rock. Their journey would not be easy, and locating Razbijen would be a challenging task. They did not know how far away the evil creatures had taken Razbijen, and they had no tracks to follow.
All they had was a direction and a divine decree to not give up. They moved forward and began to climb down the sheer cliff face, in search of any sign of Razbijen that might aid their task.
Chapter 7
Stone and Iron
Prepare your homes, your weapons, and defend your cities.
The Ikalreev Prophecies 17:9
The sight of Lesley’s gate was comforting to the twin healers. The air was pleasant in the midmorning sun. The calm exterior of the windswept grasses and farmlands outside the massive walls brought smiles to their faces. Farmers tended to their fields and livestock, their children frolicking around in play. Carts from far away caravanned through the gates of Lesley.
As the healers passed under the high archway of the outer wall, they came upon a scene of bustling soldiers.
A regiment of melee swordsmen trained off to the west, some in one-versus-one practice, others in formation practicing swings and parries in unison. Their battle cries were stalwart and fierce as they trained.
To the east a long archery range was packed with trainees, and bows twanged continuously. Not just elves trained; there were some human and dwarven archers in the mix as well. There was even a stoneskin, his bow twice as tall, and his arrows seemed to be made from shaped gemstone. The range he aimed down had three targets lined up, one behind the other.
Leith paused and watched the stoneskin loose a gemstone arrow, and his eyes widened.
“Did you see that?” he gasped at Aili. “His arrow pierced straight through all three targets! It should have shattered . . .”
A gruff shout sounded off to their right, just inside the gate. “Lieutenant! Is that the last mason?”
They both looked at the general shouting at his subordinate.
A soldier responded from a dozen yards away. “Yes, sir! Every mason in town is working on the fortifications!”
“Damn it, Cindrias! Find me another mason, engineer, anyone, damn it!” the general commanded.
“Yes, sir!” The lieutenant ran away.
Aili and Leith moved away from the commotion at the front gate and continued farther into town. They passed soldiers running urgently in all directions as preparations were being made, weapons transported, and construction materials moved. Thousands of soldiers covered the area, and even more manned the walls and gates.
“Watch out!” A shout rose in front of the healers.
Both Aili and Leith had been so mesmerized by all the activity that they had failed to watch where they were walking. Their heads spun forward, and they caught sight of a huge ballista rolling toward them. Their eyes widened as they saw the enormous crossbow structure on wheels with long, steel-tipped bolts hooked to its base. They quickly split apart and let the wide siege weapon roll between them. After the ballista had passed, the healers rejoined and looked at each other with expressions of awe.
“Has the army grown?” Leith asked.
“I guess Treasach and Gavina did not sleep on the way here. They must have arrived much earlier than us,” Aili said.
“I never knew there were so many soldiers in the Harmaalinna army,” Leith said.
“Where did they all come from?” Aili asked.
“Most must have been here previously. It only took us three days to reach Lesley,” Leith said. “Word could not have reached the soldiers in the south by now.”
“Perhaps the cavalry came back sooner?”
“No way. It is three days’ journey to the southern edge and three days back, perhaps longer for an entire leg of the Harmaalinna army.” Leith shook his head in disbelief. “They cannot just walk through the forest; they must take the roads.”
The healers passed through the inner wall’s gateway. As they did, they realized the commotion was not exclusive to the military’s outer ring. They were now amid Lesley’s forge and trade district, which lined the main road all the way to the castle’s gate. Every smithy they passed was forging either armor or weapons. Each one was as sweaty and dirty as the last, and each of their faces showed their lack of sleep.
Aili peeked into a window of the nearest fletcher’s shop. She saw a fletcher and three apprentices diligently working. Numerous stacks of quivers filled with arrows lay along the walls while yet-to-be assembled arrowheads, shafts, and fletching were piled near the fletchers’ tables.
They continued to walk up the main road and were amazed that every shop was busy creating all they could.
Aili looked around and thought it was peculiar when she could not spot a single child. Every
thing was completely different from when they left Lesley. It was much quieter back then.
As they walked along the road, they saw the crazy old man again, sitting in the same spot and still rocking back and forth. They could hear him mumbling.
“Five come. Four woke. Three slumber. Two wait. One lost.” The crazy old man looked at Aili. “You matter. You. You matter.” The crazy man started shaking his head. “No leave, no leave. Darkness without you. Cannot see . . . cannot see the light without you. No leave, no leave.”
Aili was a bit frightened by the crazy man’s intense stare; as he gazed into her eyes, his face was laden with fear. She turned away in a hurry, and they left the old man where he rocked. They sighed with relief when they could no longer see the man or hear his mad speech.
It took them a while to travel the main road’s length, but they eventually reached the third wall, the castle wall. It was smaller than the inner and outer walls.
Aili and Leith walked up to the guards protecting the castle’s gateway. The guards crossed spears before the entrance and waited for them to speak.
“We are here to see Treasach, the prince,” Aili said.
“Your names?” the guard asked.
“My name is Aili. This is Leith.”
The guard narrowed his eyes through the slender slits of his elven steel helm. The guard leaned to his left. “Inform the prince he has visitors. Provide their names.”
The second soldier marched off into the castle courtyard beyond.
Several minutes passed.
Leith rocked back and forth from his toes to his heels. “So, how is it going?”
The guard looked at him with a stern gaze. “You surely jest? Have you not heard?”
“Heard what?” Leith said.
“About the seal? What was released?” the guard responded.
“Oh yes! We were there!” Leith said with a smile.
The guard seemed baffled and narrowed his eyes again at Leith, measuring the slight figure.
The First Seal Page 5