Here is a sample of my book, please let me know what you think. If you want to talk to me real time, I am atrv1 on Yahoo, add me and leave a message,nd I will add you and we can talk.
The Rise and Fall Of Humanity By Rowen
Alpha…
Chapter one…
I was born in a small town in the Midwest, to a couple that worked hard, but played very little. My father was a blacksmith and since he was the only one around for miles, he worked almost night and day to keep up with the work load. My mother was a seamstress as well as the only midwife for about 200 miles, which meant she was gone for most of my life, tending to the joys and sorrows of others. So you can understand when I say I raised myself to the best of my abilities. I grew to be a strong independent man, with a feel for the needs of others. At this time I was only 14.
We had no real teacher other than a monk that wondered through about twice a turn, as long as the weather was cooperative. He taught in the manner befitting the Bards and was the only source of outside information that we had. You see we lived in the mountain region deep in the woods, so we saw very little in the way of visitors and of those, most found us by accident. The town was started by my great, great grandfather, back when this part of the country had seen little if nothing in the way of humanity. I had no friends my age, since there were few children that survived the harsh weather in the winter, or the predators that stalked our little corner of the world. My name is Rowen Maajinn Darkmoore, and since I was just a little child people have called me by my nickname, Maaj. I learned what I could from the Monk, (no one knew his real name, nor were we forward enough to ask), but most of my education came by the hands of Nature.
Most of the wood that surrounds our little village is full of what you would call eatable creatures, but if you wandered too far from home, there was no lacking in the creatures that would hunt you for food instead of the other way around. Now most would say that I had it good, I didn’t work, unless you counted the time spent with my father at the forge and when the men went hunting, I was not allowed to go, due to the fact that I was extremely small and lithe for my age. So for the most part I gathered plants for the healer and those needed to cook, preserve and spice the meat that the men brought back. That’s about the extent of my day, except my wanderings through the wood watching and listening to all that surrounded me. The birds sang with a symphonic melody that when listened to with eyes closed and breath barely making a sound, would transport me to worlds beyond what even the Elders could possibly know of. There was the Purple Hammer Bill, which carved his family’s nest from the hard wood of the Giant Stone Tree, the Golden Whistler, which sang in so many different octaves, that she sounded like fifty instead of one and the Giant Movaak that would sing such a sweet song that other birds were beckoned to come closer to hear him. Then they would fall prey to him and be eaten.
Then there were the ground animals, from the tiny Spider snake, which was no bigger than my littlest finger, to the Giant Thung, that with one mighty blow from his retractable claws could split a rock in two. There were creatures that we raised to provide food for us, like the Furry Crobba, which also provided the milk that we drank. Then there is the Foboe that provided the eggs and meat as well, although I disliked these animals because they liked to bite and believe me, with their sharp knife like teeth, it really hurt. Being an only child was bad enough, but with there being a limited amount of children, choosing a best friend was difficult at best. Mine was a girl named Keera, a spindly girl of 12, who seemed to always appear when you were thinking about her and had the peculiar habit of finishing sentences that you started. She stood about six inches shy of my 5’9`` height and was always smiling. She had blue eyes that reminded me of the really cold ice at the top of the mountain, almost a crystal clear hue. She was not one for talking, but when she did, she made it sound important regardless of the subject. Her laugh was what fascinated me the most, no matter how down or sick someone felt, she could laugh or smile and every thing seemed to get better.
We were always together and most of the town thought we would make a perfect couple; yuck! She was like a sister, which would be the weirdest thing I could think of. So when we went off into the wood, you could see the smirks and hear the soft conspiracy between the adults, as to how long we would be gone and if we would speak our vows to seal the marriage. I should explain that, when a couple chooses to marry, they go off into the woods, speak of their love, and swear the oath. When they had consummated their love, they would come back to the village and announce the joyous event, and then a feast would be set up to celebrate the happy couple. Of course not all of the joinings were this happy; sometimes a boy or girl was sealed to another by the parents to make up for a short trade or to help those less fortunate.
There was also another boy who I kind of took under my wing, so to speak; his name was Jorral and he was only 10, but small for his age due to the fact that he was born in the winter. Our village always tried to have the babies born in the spring, to insure their chances of surviving the early years of life. Sometimes though this was not possible, so the survival rate for those born in the fall of winter was slim at best, and those that did turned out smaller or weak in some way. Jorral was a solemn boy, who smiled very rarely and, so far as I know has never laughed in his life. He also talked very little and when he did his voice was quiet and hard to hear. His father was killed on a hunt seven turnings ago, (turnings were counted by the phases of the moon, one turn was from new moon to new moon) so he was left with just his mother who was one of the village healers. His mother was supposed to pick another husband, but there was no men who were without a mate, therefore she was very quite and reserved and when she smiled; her eyes never showed any of the merriment that the smiled portrayed.
Our village was a kind of trading post; we bartered or traded for what we needed, and as a whole survived due to the closeness of the families. Everyone had a skill that apart wasn’t the greatest, but when you put all of them together, it made a thoroughly efficient system. The head of the town was usually the best hunter, and though he didn’t rule the village, he was the one that made the really important decisions for all of us. Then there were the travelers, men who took our wares to the outside world and traded for those things we could not provide for ourselves, or get from Nature. The most valuable trade items were what our crafters made from a yellow metal that was found in the streams and caves near by our town. They would harvest the metal and melt it into strange or familiar shapes, to be used in the fashions of the woman, or the decorating of the home. The other major items were the cakes and meat that we hunted, minus what our village needed to survive; we also grew many foods and herbs ourselves.
The travelers were the ones that could not hunt, but had strong skills in the dealings of people outside of the village. It took about half a turn for them to get to the other villages and back with the goods that we needed to trade and those that we needed for the village itself. This is where my journey starts. It was a normal spring day; Keera, Jorral, and I were out in the wood, just exploring a new cave we found, when we heard a commotion from the direction of the village. “What was that?” Keera asked, as she tilted her head in the general direction of the sounds. “I’m not sure.” I replied as I too stopped to listen, also tilting my head to hear the strange sounds. “Sounds like something we should check out.” she replied So the three of us headed back toward the village, contemplating what could be the cause of such a change in our otherwise quite village.
When we got to the center of town, which consisted of a town meeting hall, the forge, the stables and our food storage huts, we found the whole village watching this strange little man perform acts that seemed to captivate everyone. Since I was one of the tallest in our village, I could look over the other heads and see what was happening. “So, are you going to tell us what is going on, or are we to guess?” Keera asked rather impatiently, which caused me to turn and look at her in shock. Keera never showed her impatience openly in such a manner as this, nor could you know it unless she wanted you too. After a moment, I looked back at the stranger, and watched as he made some gestures in the air, mumbled something I don’t think was even heard by those up front, and with a puff of smoke, turned a stone into a Golden Whistler. I must have looked stunned, because Keera jabbed me with her elbow, “what’s wrong?” she asked.
“He just turned a stone into a Whistler” was all that I could get out before the noise in the square was deafening. Then with a sigh the little man raised his arms, “Is there anyone here who would help me with my next miracle?” Before I could even blink, Keera had pushed and squeezed her way to the front and walked right up to the stranger. “I will” she beamed, as if this was the greatest thing in the world, and should only be trusted to her. The little man smiled, and gestured for her to stand beside him, and it was then that I got the weird sensation that this man was not one to be trusted. I also felt a burning coldness in my stomach when I looked into those dark beady little eyes of his. I instinctively grabbed Jorral and moved to the front, where I could see everything, and leap to Keera’s aid if need be. He saw me move from the back to the front, I know he did, but he never gave notice one way or the other, nor did he ever look straight at me like he did the others, more of a series of side glances.
He then asked Keera to lie on a board in front of him, and when she did, he placed a cover over her body, with only her outline seeable. Then he put his hands under the cover, and I heard a gasp from inside, and was about to move in when he made some strange sounds from inside his throat, and with another puff of smoke he lifted the cover, and she was gone! The cacophony from those who witnessed this startled me, and kept me from immediately understanding what had just happened, and there was a strange wave of nausea as the “ritual” was completed. Almost as if a great power had exploded inside of me, taking my breath away and leaving me dazed and confused. There was also a smell in the air, like when a storm is in full blown fury, with the wind screaming and slamming anyone who dared to be out and about, as if they were nothing but a wayward leaf. It was akin to the smell of freshly tempered steel, which was being finished in a cold mountain stream.
All at once there was pushing and shoving, and quite a few explanative outbursts from the crowd, and it was then that I watched the dark little man running from the village. The head hunter (Brokk by the way), took charge of the other hunters, setting out in pursuit. Then it hit me, where was Keera? I looked around among the confused and angry villagers, but she was nowhere in site. I then mindtalked to her, waiting for that eerie disjointed reply that she normally gave but to no avail, nor was that ever present feeling of her “being” near. The feeling of being alone, without her was just too much to stand, “shundow!” I cried in a voice so full of anguish, that it shook the very ground beneath us, and split the stone platform that we used for important village gatherings. It was instantly quiet, everyone staring at me as if I was a Thung in their midst. You see, mindtalking was something Keera and I could do all the time, and it came so natural to me, that I never questioned it, but what I did just then, was only supposed to be done by an Elder, and even then it was thought to be a myth.
I stood there transfixed, unsure of what to do next, when Brokk walked up to me. “How did you do that?” he asked, seemingly annoyed, but you could hear the hesitation in his voice, and see the unmistakable fear in his eyes. “I… I don’t know” I stammered, trying to get my bearings and understand what was going on. The rest of the village was backing away, and you could almost taste the stench of fear as it rippled through them. Jorral looked at me in wonder, as if I had just parted the sky to see what was beyond. “You’re Maaj, right?” “Yes sir.” I replied, not sure what else to say. Brokk never talk to me, I was not a hunter, nor traveler, so I was of no real importance to him.
“Keera’s your intended mate is that correct?” he asked, though it was more like a statement then a question, but there was also a hint of hesitation, and without thinking, I said “yes”. “Get your gear, you’re coming too; this concerns you more than anyone!” It was a command, one which for some odd reason comforted me, why I could not explain at the moment. “Yes sir!” I replied as I grabbed Jorral and headed for my hut. The people parted to let me through with what seemed to be a new respect for me, and in the same manner they would afford an Elder. Elders were old ones, which would appear at certain events and times, to inform us as to what would be coming up in the next year, and to “bless” the ground before we started to plant the crops. After about ten minutes (though it seemed like hours), we were all ready, standing at the edge of the village where the dark little man was last seen. “He stays!” It came from behind me, and I turned to see Brokk looking at me and frowning. “No!” I blurted out, before I even had time to think about who he was talking about. It was then that I realized Jorral was still at my side. “He’s too young, and we have to move fast!” it wasn’t the same tone I had heard from him when he commanded the other hunters, more like a simple statement of fact. “He can move just as fast as anyone here, and is a better tracker than anyone in the village!” I replied with annoyance. You could almost see him step back, as if I had slapped him or something, “ok, but if he falls behind, I am not taking responsibility for him, he is your problem!” Again he sounded unsure, but he was not going to cower in front of the rest of the men. With that said, we headed out in search of the dark man.
Chapter Two…
The first couple days following the dark little man was easy; he left a trail that a blind man could see, but after that he seemed to have all but vanished. It was weird, one minute that trail was there and the next Poof, nothing. Then Jorral started to climb a tree, looking carefully from one branch to the other until he reached about mid way to the top. “Here!” he cried as we all looked up, “This is where he changed!” he exclaimed with no little pride in his voice. “What ever do you mean?” Brokk asked seemingly annoyed “he is moving through the trees.” “Impossible!” was Brokk’s response. One of the hunters climbed up after Jorral and looked to see what he was talking about, and sure enough “He’s right Brokk, he’s using the trees to hide his escape.” “How could that little of a man get from tree to tree without falling, they’re too far apart for even the best of us to get from one to the other!” Jorral, not to be daunted, got onto the branch he indicated, with a grace and balance before un thought of in one his size or age, ran down the length, and just before the end leaped from his branch to one that was at least twenty feet away, landing softly, continued up the branch to the trunk. He looked around for a second or two, then with a broad grin on his face, exclaimed, “See I was right!” Of course the hunter that had followed him up could not execute the same maneuver, so he had to climb down the first tree and up the second to confirm Jorral’s statement. “Again he’s right Brokk!” he said, but there was respect and honor in his voice for Jorral’s astounding achievement. “Fine, fine!” Was all Brokk could manage, “Get down here Deaak, and let’s get a move on!” “Ok Jorral, you lead the way, and keep us moving!” His voice had changed with the last statement; you could hear the growing satisfaction there, but also a slow respect for Jorral’s skill as a tracker. “You boys take this as a lesson, not all prey follows the same track!”
With Jorral leaping from tree to tree and us following, we started to gain ground. In fact Jorral had to stop often for us to catch up, and you could see the new found self esteem in the way he smiled, and the lightness of his step. “Slow down up there!” Brokk yelled as we came up to his latest waiting point, “It does us no good if we lose sight of you, Brontha Boy!” Jorral looked pleased, and the rest of us looked at Brokk. He was looking up and smiling, something Brokk never does, not even in the best of circumstances. He had actually made a joke, you see a Brontha was a small hairy creature that lived in the trees, and was so fast, you rarely got a glimpse of them, and then they were gone. Jorral laughed, and asked “Do you want to take a break here Brokk, or should we move on?” Brokk, breathing hard just like the rest of us, said “Let’s take a five minute breather, so that you can rest, then we will continue.” “Ok, but I’m not tired, Maaj and I do this all the time!” He knew the minute he said it he shouldn’t have, for Brokk turned on me with a glowering storm in his eyes, “What does he mean, you do this all the time, the only trees that you could do this on are way out of bounds for anyone but the travelers and us hunters!” I knew I had to tell him, that we often followed the hunters out, to watch the hunt and see how it was done, but with the look I was getting from him, now was definitely not the time. “Sometimes we follow the travelers out a little ways, just to see where they go, but we never leave the trees, and we don’t go very far, I promise!” Brokk looked at me for a moment, trying to judge if it was the truth or not, then he must have come to the conclusion that now was not the time, “We’ll discuss this when we get back to the village!” Little did he know, that I would not be returning to the village with the rest of them, and neither did I.
After we had rested a bit, we were off again, Jorral in the trees and us trying to keep up. This went on until it was almost dark, then the trees ran out on the edge of a vast plain. “We camp here for the night.” Brokk said as Jorrel came down from the last tree. “But… what about Keera?” I asked, feeling anxious and frustrated. “We can’t track at night, and besides it will be hard to track through the long grass” was Brokk’s reply “What do you mean, I can see his path, his footsteps glow in the dark” I stated, and then realized what I had just said. “What?” Brokk looked at me, he had that same look as back at the village. “Explain what you mean by glow, I don’t see anything!” “Well…” I stuttered, “His footprints are glowing on the ground, right there.” I said as I pointed to the first of such steps I was seeing. Deaak bent down and looked at where I was pointing, “There is a footprint here, and it looks just like the ones we have been tracking from the village.” Everyone looked at me like I was some sort of bazaar creature they had never seen before, “what?” I asked, starting to get nervous. “When did you start getting these strange skills?” Brokk queried, “I don’t know, this is the first time it has happened!” I was shocked and confused at what was happening, so I didn’t know what else to say. “First you use theVoice, which is only supposed to be used by the Elders, now you see like a Thung, what’s going on?” He seemed to be getting angry, and I had no answers to give him, “What does it matter right now, why don’t we use what I have and get going, before we lose them!” It came out angry and short, and I felt the whole group cringe. “Watch your tone boy; I don’t want to have to teach you who is in charge here!” Brokk said, stepping closer. “And what are you going to do, beat me up, I am tired of the threats, and it is not helping to find Keera!” I was getting mad now myself, and was tired of feeling like a little kid; I was just as old as some of the other hunters, so I wasn’t going to take it anymore. “Why you...” He started to say, “He’s right Brokk” came the voice of one of the other hunters, Magin was his name I think, one my age. “Why don’t we use his skill, and wonder when this is all done?” “Fine!” he replied, but he gave me a look that sent shivers down my spine.
So we continued on, I in the lead the rest following closely behind. We traveled most of the night, but as the darkness waned the prints started to fade. We had gone many leagues, and it seemed as though the Dark man was made of the wind, for no matter how fast we traveled, he stayed well ahead of us. “What matter of a man is this?” asked one of the hunters, I think he is called Maddok; “I know not” was Brokk’s reply. “We cannot go much further, it will take to long to get home and I cannot put the whole village at risk for one girl.” “What?” I asked, “We can’t just leave her, who knows what that man will do to or with her!” “I understand what you are feeling Maaj, but I have a responsibility to the whole village, and to that I have sworn, and will abide!” I knew Brokk was right, but I could not bring myself to give up on Keera, no matter how far I had to go. “I will keep on hunting for her then, then you can go back to the village, and I can come back when I find and free her.” I said, “I will not loose two more to the unknown just for one’s sake!” “It is my choice, and I choose to continue, with or without your help!” “Very well, but If you don’t find her within a week, you are to come back to the village. That is all the provisions that we have to spare for you, the rest is up to you.” Brokk commanded the rest of the hunters to give up one days ration, so that I would have enough for a week. “I go too!” we all turned in shock, “She is my friend, and I go too, two are better than one!” it was Jorral, we had been so busy with what we had decided to do, we had all forgotten about Jorral. “You are way too young to be going,” “I wasn’t too young to lead all of you through the forest now was I.” He replied “Well Maaj, what do you say, with or not?” So Brokk had laid it on my shoulders, if anything happened, it was my fault for allowing him to stay with me, and Brokk was free and clear.
The rest of the hunters shook my hand and gave me the rations from their supply, and from Deaak I was given two daggers and a pouch of wine, from Magin a small hunters bow and two quiver of arrows, “She’s a bit high strung, but if you use her well, and take care of her, she will fly true and strong.” Brokk shook his head, “Are you two daft, why would you give up your weapons?” “We cannot let one of our village go out without arming him, he will need these things I am sure of it.” Brokk walked up to me and as he gave me his share of the rations, he slipped me several throwing knives as well. You could hear the muffled laughter from the other hunters, but Brokk paid them no heed, instead “We leave you now, is the boy staying with you or not?” Jorral looked at me and I felt compelled. “Yes, he shall.” Jorral puffed up and the hunters all nodded in agreement, as if I was one of them. “Very well, then we leave you now, and will hope to see you soon.” With that they packed up and headed for home. “Well, guess it’s just you and me now huh?” I looked down at Jorral, “yup!” he said with a smile, and for the first time since he was born, his eyes shined with joy. So we cleaned up, packed our provisions, and looked ahead to the next tree line, “Ready?” “Yes!” I looked at him, and smiled “Let’s go then!” With Jorral at my side, we walked into the unknown. Unsure, determined not to let Keera down, and to tell you the truth, both afraid of what may come, but ready as we would ever be.
As we walked, I kept thinking back to when Keera was under the cover, and the strange feelings I had during and after the “ritual”. That is what must have triggered my new found “abilities”. As I was mussing, I must have drifted, because all of a sudden, Jorral grabbed my sleeve and yanked me to the ground. “What?” “Shh!” “Look!” I followed his finger, and sure enough about two hundred paces ahead, was the dark little man, talking to a farmer. By the looks of things, the farmer wasn’t too happy, and pointed the little dark man away from his farm. The dark man made some rude gestures and stomped away in the direction the farmer had indicated. Now I wasn’t sure what the farmer had told him, but from his reaction, the dark man wasn’t too pleased, and that made me nervous. Jorral and I stayed hidden until the farmer was no where to be seen, then we crept out and followed the direction of the dark little man. He seemed to be quite distracted; for he wasn’t watching where he was going, and walked smack dab into a tree. I had to turn away to keep from giving our position away; Jorral and I all but burst into hysterics when the dark man fell backward, and started to yell at the tree to move aside and watch where it was going. He must have realized what he was doing, because he looked around, and you couldn’t mistake the look of disgust as he reviewed what had happened, and looked around to see if anyone had witnessed his mishap. He picked himself up off the ground, and continued on his way. We stopped about one hundred paces behind him and pulled out some rations, eating them cold so that we didn’t lose the little man. About noon, the little dark man approached a small village and entered it as if he were a thief, slow and cautious. We stood be the gate, which was the only opening to the city, between the massive walls.
There were people everywhere, and the noise was so deafening to our ears, we had to concentrate just to hear each other, or our own thoughts. The opening to the city was a massive gate framed by a stone wall as thick as two tall men one atop the other, stretched the long way. On each side of the gate were two stone dragons with red gems for eyes and teeth as white as the pure driven snow. You felt as if you were being watched, and that at any moment you could be devoured or charred to ashes. There was no mortar between the blocks; they were cut so finely that they fit as if they were one solid piece. The road leading in was set with stones bleached from the sun, and seemed to almost glow. I looked at Jorral and he looked at me, as if to say he was leaving the decisions up to me, so I nodded my head in the direction of the center of town, and we proceeded into the city. As we walked we noticed that no one made direct eye contact, looking down or away as we passed. “What’s wrong with them?” Jorral asked “I have no idea; it’s almost as if they are afraid of us.” I replied. The buildings as we got closer to the center of town looked as if they had just been built, fresh stain, and the stones were as clean as if they had just been washed. The designs were unfamiliar to us, and seemed to flow with a sense of continuity like that of water. Although the houses were smoothly constructed, the corners were all crisp and straight. The shops clean and the windows clear, the “walkway” was even and straight, lined up so nicely, that the space from the wood to the store front, left no noticeable gap. Each business had a plank board sign written in several tongues as to what services they provided. We were getting low on some provisions, so we stopped into the closest general merchandise store. We entered and were assaulted with smells of herbs, and the tangy scents of leather sealer and boot shine.
The store clerk was a little woman no bigger than I was, and seemed to float from one customer to another as if she stood on a disk of solid air. She came up to us, eyeing us with suspicion, yet her smile never swayed, it was the look in her eyes that told the tale. “May I be of some assistance travelers?” She asked. “Yes, we are traveling some distance; and we are getting low on some of our provisions, can we restock here, or do we need to go to one of the other stores?” was my quiet reply. “Sure, if we have it, it can be had for a price” She added, as if to imply the question of our finances. “We have trade goods, where do we exchange them for the money to buy what we need?” “Well we do except certain trade goods for that which the customer is in need of, may I see what you have?” “Sure!” I replied, and pulled out two of the golden trinkets that we were given at the start of the journey. She eyed them over, with the professionalism of someone twice her turns, then “Well, this is awful expensive stuff, how did you come by them?” She asked suspiciously. “They are made in our village, and we were given them to pay for our expenses on our journey.” I replied; taking on the air I often witnessed from Brokk, when addressing those with doubt. Something in the way I spoke, or in my voice must have convinced her, for she seemed to relax, and said “My names Teala, this is my fathers store, welcome.”
“I am Maaj, and my companion is Jorral, we come from the Valley Village to the north.” “Wow!” she exclaimed, “I’ve heard of that place, but no one knows exactly where it is, or how to get there.” “We keep to ourselves mostly, except to trade for the needs of the village that is.” I said. “Ok, well I can trade in these things for you, and you just pick out what you need, and I will extract the price and give you the remainder.” She replied. “Ok.” I said and started to look for those things we were in need of. The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of a variety of things, some of which I had no idea as to there name or uses. “I think we may need some assistance with our needs, Can you help?” I asked. “Sure.” She replied; and we went through the aisles picking up what we were in need of, with her help. When we had completed our shopping, we put everything on the counter board for her to figure up and take the cost out of our trade goods. “Ok, your goods come up to about a third of the value of your goods, so here is what you have left.” She said, and handed us a pouch full of small silver and brass coins. “Thank you Teala, do you know where we can get something to eat and a place to clean up and rest?” I asked. “Sure; just across the street is the inn, you can get a bath and bed for two silvers, and they are respectable people, so you shouldn’t have any trouble from them.” “Thanks”. We both replied, and we all laughed, as if we were old friends. “Would you care to join us for dinner?” I asked, and then realized how forward that sounded. “Sure” She replied, “Around midday?” She asked, “Sounds good.” I replied, and we exited the store.
So we walked across the street to the “Wild Boar”, which was the name on the plank board sign, and entered. As we walked in, you could feel the tension, it was thick enough to cut with a dagger, and it was everywhere. From the entrance; you could see that the inn consisted of two parts, the actual inn, was the upper floor, and the lower half was an eatery. So we sat down at the end of one of the long tables, there were four long tables that would seat about fifty men each, and these were in the middle of the room, and then there was about 20 small tables that would seat about five per table along the front three walls. The place was fairly full, but the silence was so intense, as to make you feel almost alone. There was no eye contact, nor familiarity you would expect in such a place as this. When the barmaid came to our table, she spoke not a word, but deposited a five pound chunk of meat, two one pound chunks of cheese, and a pint each of some fermented drink. She then wrote something down on a piece of shale, and set it face down before me. I was intrigued, so I picked it up and turned it over, only to see it was the price for the meal we had been given. It seemed that if we were interested, or willing to eat what she had deposited, then we had only to give the requested amount, and then eat. I was amazed at the lack of speech, it was if this was a monastery, and we the visiting monks. So I nodded my head, and paid for the food, leaving to her a modest but ample tip for her service, for this we were rewarded to a look of pure shock, as she tried to give me the extra, and I refused. Then she got a look of fear in her eyes, and backed away several steps, I realized what she was thinking, and shook my head no, at this she seemed to be even more puzzled. So to alleviate the confusion, I started to cut the meat and hand Jorral his share, who at this time also shared in the confusion, but was following my lead, and keeping himself out of the situation. She looked at me for another brief moment, then turned and fled to the kitchen. Jorral looked at me like he was going to say something, and I shook my head no, and we settled down to eat.
We were almost finished when a large portly man late in his years, walked over with the barmaid in tow. You could see the fear in her eyes, with each tear that fell; I became more and more worried. The owner; or so I presumed, walked straight to me, and deposited the young barmaid at my feet, along with a small parchment, and a wrapped up bundle that must have been clothes. I opened the parchment, and was shocked to see it was a deed of sale for the barmaid. He didn’t wait to see what I wanted; nor what I thought about it, he simply turned around, and without a rearward glance walked back to the kitchen. The barmaid was still at my feet, looking down at the dirt floor. As we finished and rose to our feet, she did as well, grabbing my pack, and stepping behind me, waited for me to move. When I made an attempt to grab my pack from her, she refused to give it up, and since I didn’t want to start a scene, I proceeded up to the bar, to inquire about a room for us for the night. She followed about three steps behind, and to the left of me, stopping as I did, but retaining her distance. I motioned for the tender, and he came over and stepped from behind the bar and motioning us to follow, headed for the stairs at the right side of the room, along the back wall. We went up three flights and came to a tee in a corridor; we turned right and went down to the last room at the very end of the corridor. “The bathroom is the door to the right here, and it’s a shared one, so lock it when you’re in there if you don’t want company” The tender said. Opening the door, we entered. The room was not the biggest, consisting of a bed; a table, two chairs, a washbasin, a small fireplace and two windows. There was a small obscure painting above the fireplace, probably a local artist related to the owner, or someone who needed a room and paid with the painting.
“The room is five coppers a night, in advance. If you want food brought up, you need only to let me know, and I will make sure it is done. There is fire wood for the fire in the box in the coatroom over there, and starters are not furnished, but can be purchased for a small fee of two coppers. If there be anything else you will, simply let me know, I can get anything money can buy, even companions for the cool nights.” The last was said as an aside, but you could hear the raunchy suggestiveness in his voice, and the lewd way he looked made my stomach turn sour. “We’ll be fine, thank you. Can you have someone bring us up some food in the morning, just before dawn?” I asked. “Sure, I’ll have one of the bar wrenches fetch it up to you, is an hour before dawn about right?” replied the tender as he stood by the door waiting, looking at everything except us. “Is there something else?” I asked. “Well a tip would be nice.” He replied with rancor in his tone. “Oh, sorry, been a while since I had to do that.” So I handed him the money for the night and a fair tip. He looked down at it, back up at us, and a slight smile that he couldn’t catch in time, appeared on his face. “Anything, just let me know, ok?” He bubbled. “Ok … night.” I all but pushed the door shut in his face. “Wow!” Jorral exclaimed, “What Tobba dung!” I looked at him for second, and then had to laugh, a Tobba was a smallish creature that seemed to eat very little, but dunged enough to cover his pen, and it was slimy and the smell made me gag really bad. “We better get some sleep, who knows what will happen tomorrow.” I said, and with that I went to the bathroom, to get ready for sleep.
When I had returned, Jorral had a warm fire going, and was fast asleep. “Guess he was tired after all.” I said to my self, then crawled into bed to try and sleep, but no matter how hard I tried, or what position I was in, I just couldn’t relax or get comfortable, knowing that somewhere out there, Keera was at the mercy of the dark little man, or worse. The latter made me shudder, and I got up to add more wood to the fire, for I was suddenly chilled to the bone. It was then that I remembered the barmaid, and looked around; there she was, curled up at the foot of the bed fast asleep. Well, this was another thing I would have to straighten out in the morning, and I pulled a chair near the fire, and sat staring into the flames, without realizing it, I fell asleep thinking about all that had happened in just a few short days.
Chapter Three…
I was wakened by the sound of screams and thundering booms in the distance. I looked around, unsure of where I was or what was happening to me. Then like a crack of a whip, I remembered everything and jumped to my feet. What I saw had me startled, Jorral and the barmaid where looking at the back wall, which was no longer there. Instead there was a gaping hole with smoldering edges, and a hole where the bed had stood. “What happened, are you two alright?” I asked. All Jorral could do was nod, and the barmaid simply blinked. I couldn’t keep thinking of her like that, so I decided to get a rough draft of who she was. “What is your name by the way?” I asked, “Lady Rose, but most just call me Rose.” She replied. “Your royalty?” I was astounded. “I was once, but my kingdom was raided and overthrown by the Dark King, and I was sold into slavery.” “What?” I was stunned, “I thought that slavery was ruled against by the High Counsel.” “It was, but the Dark King doesn’t count the High Counsel as the law, he says they’re just a bunch of old men that have outlived their usefulness.” As if to accent her last statement, there was another flash of light, and a thunderous boom, that shook the ground, and set all of us down on the floor with a jarring thud. “That’s him, he uses dark sorcery to break down the defenses, and then his solders attack and kill those he can’t use as slaves in his mines.” Grabbing our things, “Well I for one am not going to be in that lot, we have to get out of here, Keera is depending on us!” I grabbed her hand, nodded at Jorral, and we headed out the door and out into the street.
What we entered was total chaos, people running everywhere, screaming and crying with no order that could be discerned. The town was engulfed in flames, and the wounded where everywhere. The town militia was hard pressed to fend of the attack, fight the blazing buildings, and attempt to help the wounded and terrified people find shelter. All of a sudden, I had an urge to go to the front gate, so I ran that way. “What are you doing?” asked Rose. “We need to head the other way, look for someplace to hide or something, not head to the front of the attack.” Jorral followed, but I could feel his question in my mind. “I have to, I don’t know why, but I have to.” As we neared the gate, I could tell that it wouldn’t be long before there wasn’t any defense left, letting go of Rose, I climbed the wall and looked out. What my eyes beheld was a sight out of the most horrible nightmare one could possibly imagine. Not five hundred paces from where I stood, there stood a single figure in a dark robe, with eyes as red as fire, and hair that burned blue with flame. He stood about twelve feet high, and was built like a wall of stone. His hood was thrown back, and his hands were stretched out in front of him as he spoke words I couldn’t hear. Then a flaming ball of blue flame shot out from his hands, and headed straight for the part of the wall where Rose and Jorral stood. I felt a weird power build in me with the fear, and without even knowing what I was doing; I pointed at the ball of flame, and shouted “Dou Chi” and a white ball of energy erupted from my hand, with a cracking sound like that of the very earth splitting asunder, and hurtled toward the ball of flame. “KABOOM!” The very impact of the two balls of energy knocking everyone to the ground, except me and the sorcerer. The ball of flame was not only stopped, but was sent back the way it came, slamming into the giant with the force of a million forge hammers. The giant staggered, and went to one knee; again I said the words, “Dou Chi” and another ball of blazing white energy leaped from my hand and slammed into the staggering giant. With an explosion of light, the giant fell backwards, and lay still, not even a groan escaped his mouth.
It was then that I noticed the rest of the attacking force; they made a line from horizon to horizon, and so deep as to be uncountable. In the front of this horde, was a lone dark figure in a suit of what appeared to be armor, riding a horse as black as midnight without any moon or star to light it. The dark figure raised his hand and signaled the invading force to advance, and I could see back in the ranks, more giants, with clubs as big as trees, and spikes coming out of them as long as swords. Without thinking of what I was doing, I shouted “shundow!” There was a feeling of static, and then there was the sound of exploding, as if a hundred volcanoes erupted at once and there in front of the enemy army a crack twice as wide as a river opened up, and swallowed thousands in seconds. Then the advancing army stopped, and looked around in confusion. The dark figure looked straight at me, and I felt a cold ripple run down the middle of my back. He turned and with that the invaders retreated back the way they had come. I turned and looked around, and all I could see was the astonished faces of the town militia and the looks of pure shock on Jorral and Rose’s faces. Then a cheer arose from the town, and men were backing away from me in an almost reverent way. I must have looked like I was going to faint, for Jorral and Rose were at my side, each grabbing an arm and helping me down from the wall. When we reached the bottom, the town militia motioned for them to follow, and we were led to the center of town, and into the Common building where the courts and town officials met. Once inside, we were led to the main room, where a seat was provided for all of us, and food and refreshments were brought forth. A minute or two later, the town officials came into the room in assorted disarray, and stood before us like children waiting on a sweet treat. One man came forward, and bowed to one knee, “I am the town magistry and the men behind me good sir, are the town council, we are forever in your debt for saving us this day, how may we repay your kindness?” I felt weak, and extremely tired, and was completely unable to talk at the moment. “He needs good food, and some rest. Then when he feels better, we can talk about it, ok?” It was Rose, and the look she gave me was one of awe, and admiration. “Yes…Yes! Immediately!” He bowed his head as if I was a king or someone of great importance, and ordered the men to have us taken to his home so that we could rest, and for the best food and ale to be brought at once. We were all but carried to a large house, and brought into the guest wing where we were given two adjoining rooms, Jorral in one, and Rose and I in the other. About five minutes later, the food arrived, enough to feed an army. I sat down and felt as if I couldn’t even eat one tiny bite; but after taking a piece of sweet meat, I instantly became ravenous, eating as if I had not eaten in weeks. The ale was stout, and warmed in my stomach, that with the food, made me instantly sleepy, and I was carried to bed, out the second my head hit the feathered pillow.
I awoke to the song of birds, and the feel of starched clean sheets with a hand made quilt to keep me warm. I turned my head to look around, and there in a chair beside the bed, was Rose, fast asleep, with a worried look on her face. I reached a hand over, and touched her gently on the knee. She opened her eyes, and a smile came across her face that had the warmth of a fresh summer day, and in her eyes there was a gentleness, that seemed to speak of years of devotion, all I had to do was ask. She moved on to the side of the bed, “How are you feeling, we were worried about you, you’ve been out for days.” “I feel great, wait, did you say days?” I was instantly terrified, what was I doing, we had to find Keera, and here I was, asleep for days. I pulled back the covers, only to discover I was without apparel, looking at Rose, she blushed, and handed me my clothes, mended and neatly washed and folded. “I thought you might want some clean clothes to put on, forgive me for being so bold,” “It’s ok, I am grateful for your kindness.” I said, not making eye contact. I got dressed and we headed out of the room, and there waiting was Jorral, also in clean clothes and with a big grin on his face. “What are you smiling about I asked sarcastically.” “Nothing, how was your night?” He replied with a look at Rose. “Never you mind.” I answered back. We headed into the dining area, and were greeted with a view of a spectacular banquet. Everything you could possibly want to eat in the morning was laid out on two giant tables, with bouquets adding as dividers. Along the front of the room was a giant table, where the whole council was seated, and in the middle were three empty seats for Jorral, Rose and I to sit. A man approached, and took us to our seats, and asked what we would like to eat, and then some ladies appeared and filled our plates as we chose the food we preferred. I was almost afraid to eat, but Jorral dug in like a man deprived of food, and Rose just looked at me with a hopeless expression on her face. I smiled at her; nodding my consent, and with that assurance, she also began to eat. “Is there something wrong?” The town leader asked. “No, just taking it all in.” I replied.
After we had eaten, we all went out into the street, to see what the true damage was. What we saw was not very reassuring. Half the city was either burnt to some degree, or black from the heat and smoke of the building next to it. The street was full of people wandering around as if they their minds were caught in a maze that was dark and foreboding. The town militia was everywhere helping the people get to where they needed to be, and fixing as much of the damage as was possible at this point. All of a sudden there was a scream; I looked to my right, just in time to see a side of a building falling down on to the street, just below it was about twenty or so injured people who could not get out from under it in time. Without thinking, I raised my hand, and the wall stopped in mid air. At first everyone just stood and stared then some of them rushed in to get the injured out before the wall fell the rest of the way. “What are you, who are you?” Rose asked as sweat began to bead upon my brow. I couldn’t answer, or take my eyes off the wall, so I didn’t answer her. Finally the injured were out of the way, and I lowered my hand allowing the wall to complete its fatal fall. I felt everyone’s eyes upon me, and I turned to look back at them. The questions seemed to burst from their eyes, but didn’t reach their lips. “Don’t ask, for I have no answers to give right now, I don’t know where this is all coming from.” Was the only reply I could give them.
Too be continued.....
