Sword Bearer (Return of the Dragons) (5 page)

Chapter VI

Keiler. I felt the word in my mind, projected from Kara and
Kalle next to me. Wild boars. I’d read about them. A long time ago the keiler
had run on the ground, and made their trails through the forest. People had
hunted them. Then the hunters had become the hunted.

The keiler were supposed to have grown to unbelievable
sizes, some with tusks the size of a child’s arm. I’d even read that sometimes
they spoke, and walked on two legs. At the time I hadn’t believed a word of it.
Now I wished I’d paid more attention.

“Stand tall,” Kalle said. “Remember the strength of your
forefathers.”

“It’s too late to run, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Their eyes are weak and they hate fire,” Kara said. “If we
can hold them off until daybreak, then we may have a chance to flee.”

I stood tall, like Kalle said. Running away was pointless.
Where could I run to? My mind raced instead. How could I simply stand there,
weaponless, and await my fate?

I looked down at my side. My blade hung there, forgotten.
Maybe I wasn’t weaponless, after all.

No, I was fooling myself. It was a wooden blade, a practice
tool, a boy’s weapon.

And yet, it had cut Giancarlo, my blademaster.

It would have to serve.

My father had made me practice every morning with a cane,
before the blademaster had trained me with the staff. My arms were strong even
if my legs were weak. If only I had a length of steel in my hand.

I drew my blade.

It glowed green in the darkness, and then it began to sing.

Without thinking, I spoke a word:
feuer
, and my hand
moved, and the bonfire burst back into flame, and with a flick of the wrist
green flame covered my wooden blade, but the blade was unharmed.

My arm hummed, and then Kalle pulled out a silvery blade,
that glowed green too in my third eye. Would I ever close that eye again? The
third eye hid nothing.

Was I imagining it, or could I hear a faint song, too,
coming from Kalle’s blade?

Kara spoke her own word:
sonne
and a ball of light
like a small sun formed over our heads. I felt instantly warmer.

Kalle spoke a word, and the word was:
schnell
and he
seemed to speed up and be everywhere, all at once, which was good, because that
was when the keiler charged.

I held my blade out, and the blade hummed in my hand. The
boar was over six feet long, and as it reached me, it reared up on its hind
legs.

I was sorry to see it was over six feet tall as well.

But the keiler didn’t attack.

I glanced over to the side. Kalle and Kara stood shoulder to
shoulder, facing off the other boar.

PRINCESS
.

The shorter boar’s eyes glowed. I realized it was
communicating with us. The other boar, half a foot taller, grunted and steam
came out of its mouth.

Princess. Losp and I must bring back the book to the Dark
Lord. The Dark Lord loves his books. He reads them with so much attention. He
sends you this message: give him the book, or die and give him the book. What
is your answer?

Kara snorted.

He’s no lord of ours. The book was my father’s, and is
not mine to give. Take our own message: leave us in peace, or be destroyed and
scattered to the four winds.

SO BE IT.

The shorter beast jumped. I ducked as it sailed easily over
my head. Puah! What a smell. Then it was back, snarling, and spitting burning
yellow-green spittle.

I looked with my third eye for the creature’s heart.

The blade hummed in my hand and the magical sun above us
burned in the darkness before the dawn. Next to me Kalle was a whir of brown
and gold and silver, striking the taller beast and drawing thick green magical
blood that burned where it hit the ground.

The shorter beast moved toward me, and spat green spittle. I
ducked, and saw the hoof come down at me. I struck it with my blade, and the
flaming edge of my blade burned into the beast. I felt the shock of contact run
down my arm, through the wooden sword, its edge a line of fire. I spoke a word:
brucciare
. Fire coursed through the silver pommel into the wooden sword
and the pommel turned red hot in my hand but did not burn.

I struck the keiler again, beneath its head, and my arm went
numb. The keiler screamed as it burned, the flames flowing over it and into it.

There was a smell of roast pork and one last cry of a beast
with the mind of a man.

In that scream I recognized a word, a magical word:
Herr
.

I looked into its eyes and the eyes looked at me, with
recognition. Then it was dead, and its red eyes went dark.

I had never killed before. My body shook. I think I was in
shock.

But I was also exhausted from the sword fighting and the
spell work. I’d done more practical blade and spell work today than in all of
the last year combined.

I pulled the blade back and took a defensive posture. The
flames flickered around the edge of my blade and the blood sizzled.

Kara and Kalle were still fighting the other beast.

Kalle was whirling around it, dancing with his short silver
blade. Kara smote it with a long thin sword and it howled. Again the howl hit
me right in the heart.

The keiler turned to face us, looked at me and it said the
word again, its dying eyes boring into mine.

Herr
.

Kalle struck it one last time. Again the scream moved
through my body. Why me? Why did their death cries affect me like that? Why did
they call me
Herr?

Kara turned to Kalle then. “Why did they say that to him?”
she asked. “Can his blood be recognized here in the Schwarzwald?”

I had no idea what she was talking about. My teeth
chattered. My whole body shook. I needed to sit down. I sank to my knees
instead, closed my eyes and fell to the ground. I so wanted to sleep, even
here, covered in blood, and so cold, on this frozen ground.

“He’s weak, Kara. He’s used himself up getting here and
killing that keiler.”

“I doubt he’s ever killed before.”

“He fought like a warrior,” Kalle said.

“But look how he’s trembling now,” Kara replied.

“Let’s get him out of here,” Kalle said. “Before they come
for us, again.”

Four hands were pulling me up then. I opened my eyes and my
vision swam, then slowly came into focus.

My legs felt loose and disobedient but Kara steadied me.

“We must flee now,” she said. “The keiler always travel in
packs. They will soon be here in numbers we could never hope to overcome. Eat
the nuts — they must be cool by now — and drink this water, and then, we run,
as kin.”

Kara popped nuts into my mouth. I focused all my remaining
energy on chewing. Warmth spread slowly from my mouth through the rest of my
body. She held up water, and I drank.

Water had never before tasted so sweet.

Finally I stopped shivering, and pulled away from her.

I looked at them, watching them quickly eat and drink. Then
it was time.

Kara kissed me on the forehead, and whispered a word:
anima
.

More energy flowed into me, through her kiss, through the
word. I felt warmer and lighter, and firmer of foot.

Kalle looked off into the darkness, and then he pointed. In
the distance I could almost see the glow of the keiler hoard. There must have
been dozens of them, but they were still far off.

Approaching quickly, but there was time to flee, if we ran
now.

Maybe.

I looked down at the wild boar creature beneath me. Why had
it called me
Herr
?

There were so many questions.

But there was no time.

Far off in the distance, came a squeal that was a scream,
echoed by another, and another. I felt the hair on my arms and neck stand up
straight.

“They’re in a rage,” I said. I don’t know how, but somehow,
I
knew
this.

Kalle nodded. “Run,” he said. “Run as if your feet were
feathers, and they blew in a gust of wind.”

And we ran.

Chapter VII

The forest lightened around us as we ran. Dawn was
approaching. I hoped the keiler would fear the sun, but in the black forest,
the
Schwarzwald
, would the sun make any difference?

A branch whipped my face.

Just for a moment, I hadn’t been looking. It felt like I’d
been slapped.

I would have to be more careful. No use running into a tree
and ending up on the ground, food for the keiler.

They were close behind me. Too close, I could feel it. I had
no idea where we were but somehow I managed to follow Kara stride for stride —
maybe that was part of the spell she’d cast on me when she kissed my forehead.

The light was definitely stronger now.

Kara stopped suddenly.

I stopped short behind her.

We were in front of a great gate. Maybe it wasn’t so big
physically. Not more than ten feet tall. But I could feel its greatness without
even opening my third eye. There was a tense humming in the air, and a buzzing
sensation on my skin. There were markings all up and down the gate, but they
were in no language that I knew. On an impulse I reached my hand out and traced
one of the letters.

As I watched, the letter began to glow, and a low note
wafted into the air.

I pulled my hand away.

Through the gate was the beginning of a road. It was narrow,
and covered with plants that grew between the cobblestones. Perhaps someone
walking by wouldn’t have noticed it, but it was a road all the same. A canopy
of trees covered it, and it looked like it had not been used for centuries.

Kara turned to me. “I need to talk to Kalle. This is
strange. I’ve seen this road in my dreams. It leads to an ancient city — a city
that was once our sister. The location of the city itself was lost in this
forest. Perhaps there is still something good there, something that has
resisted the dark lord... Perhaps the keiler will fear to enter there.”

She turned to Kalle, who had stopped just ahead of us, and
was kneeling, looking at the road.

Kalle looked more serious.

“I was sent here as a scout, to find just this city,” he
said. “I’ve searched for days, and now we stumble upon this road. I burn to see
where it leads, but I can’t endanger you, princess, nor the book that you
carry. Your safe return and the safe return of the book are too important.”

Kara looked frustrated for a moment. Then she sighed.

“Are you loyal to the memory of my father, Kalle?”

Kalle nodded.

“Of course. I swore allegiance to him. You saw me, princess.
You were but a little girl at the time, though, and perhaps you don’t
remember.”

“I remember it well. And you swore allegiance to his
bloodline, did you not?”

Kalle nodded. “Of course I did.”

“Then, as his daughter, I order you to take us to this city.
Perhaps it will offer us safe haven, even if not for long.”

Kalle’s face had turned red. “You give me no choice but to
do what I wanted to do anyway. I should be grateful...” He trailed off.

“But?” I asked.

“Kara, I fear this city,” he said finally.

“The unknown is always feared,” Kara replied.

“Not without reason.”

They stood there for a moment. Not far off in the distance,
I heard another high pitched squeal.

Ugh. I hated the noise, I hated the smell of those
creatures. And yet they seemed to honor me. The hair stood up on my neck again.

“Kalle, we can’t wait any longer,” I said. “Let’s follow
this path, and quickly, to wherever it will take us.”

Kalle nodded, and we ran.

If I figured it would be easier, running on the rock, I was
wrong. Perhaps it would have been, centuries ago, but now, though the rock was
unbroken, there were obstacles all along its path — strange plants that grew
over and onto it.

But I felt energy underneath them, good energy, and looking
at the plants, strange as they were, I think they meant us no harm.

Suddenly we stopped. Kara had fallen, and looked disgusted
with herself. Kalle pointed to the road, and smiled.

Look at the path with your third eye, and ignore all
else. Tremendous energy still flows here.

Kara looked doubtful.
You think we can surf on it? After
all these centuries?

Kalle nodded. He turned to me.

“We’ll use the path as the ancients intended. They ran
chariots without horses above and through the energy field, but sometimes they
even rode it directly. It’s supposed to be simple. You just need to see the
field, and then you enter it. We should be like boats on a strong current.”

There was another squeal, nearby, just behind us.

I cringed. I’d do anything to get away from that noise and
what came with it.

Kara scowled. “Let’s find it quick then, or more blood will
be shed. And I’m afraid this time it will be ours.”

With my third eye I saw a platform, to the side of the road,
patchy in spots, but mostly a solid emerald green. And on top of this platform,
was a golden stream of energy. Flowing ahead of us at great speed.

“I think we climb up this platform,” I said, eager to get
out of there.

I took a step onto it, felt something, but my foot went down
and hit the road. There was another squeal, closer. My hair stood up on my
arms.

“Close your other eyes,” Kalle said. “You must be blind to
enter the stream. I never understood what they meant, before, but now it makes
sense. See only with your inner, third eye.”

The squeals were right behind us.

I didn’t want to close my eyes. But what could I do besides
trust Kalle?

So I closed them, looking only through the third.

I could see the platform, a stream of energy. But I also
sensed just behind us, red patches of dark magical energy, the eyes of the
keiler.

I hurried onto the platform.

The green outline of my foot met the platform and it held.
With my third eye, I watched the greenish blue energy that was Kara step onto
the platform as well. Then Kalle, his life energy a reddish orange, stepped on.

Their energy was comforting. But I couldn’t ignore the
nearness of the keiler. Their squeals resonated in my spine, on my skin. My
hair stuck up on my arms and neck.

Kalle’s life force pulsed with his thoughts.
There’s no
more time. Enter the stream
.

He was right, of course.

I took a deep breath, and stepped into the energy.

It felt like when it had snowed, once, three winters ago,
and the roads had become icy.

Like stepping onto a slippery section of the road, and
starting to slip downhill.

I moved faster and faster, my whole body vibrating as I
accelerated, and then I was flying. Through my third eye I watched the outline
of the greenery rush past.

I looked back and saw Kalle and Kara off behind me in the
distance. Well, I couldn’t really
see
them, but I could sense their
energy, their life force. I felt light as a feather, and full of energy.

I could no longer hear or feel the presence of the keiler.
This energy we were using would reject them. I was sure, somehow. No keiler
would ever be able to ride this.

I felt a great sense of harmony, at ease suddenly with
myself and my surroundings. I could barely even remember that I had a physical
body, that I had ever felt out of breath or had my face ache from acne. I was
pure energy. No physical weakness, no aches and pains of the flesh.

My soul sang with the stream. I could feel the souls of
Kalle and Kara too, and puzzled at their nature. I felt good and whole.

I reached back behind me and my arm stretched out along the
stream to Kalle, then to Kara. They felt like a buzzing tickle, like a good
scratch on itchy skin.

Kalle chuckled, but Kara put me in my place.

Anders, control yourself. Bring your essence together.
You feel strong now, on this strange energy beam that we ride, but soon we’ll
be there. We travel at great speed. If you’re stretched too thin you risk
dissipation, or at the very least exhaustion. We’ll need all our strength when
we arrive, to find safe haven, and then get out of the Black Forest.

She had
no idea
what I felt. Exhaustion? Dissipation?
I had never felt so strong, so at ease, free for once from the limits of my
body.

I stretched out a little more.

A shock ran through my system.

Kalle had pushed me back.

We’ll return to our physical bodies any moment, Anders,
and to their limitations. Listen to Kara, and pull yourself together. Look
ahead, we are reaching our destination, if this great glow is any indication.

I looked.

The beam of energy was taking us onwards towards a great circle
of colors — red at the very center, surrounded by green, blue, orange, purple,
white, yellow... Beams of power radiated in all directions, making a kind of
huge luminous dome that surrounded whatever we were approaching.

Was this some form of protection? I had no idea, but I was
going to find out. We were probably still pretty far off, but rapidly
approaching.

Now, Anders, or you risk dissipation!

I guess I really didn’t want to find out what
dissipation
meant. I pulled myself together.

We were slowing down. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the
ride ended.

We hung there, hanging in the air in front of a second gate.
That’s what I saw, anyhow, with my third eye. And beyond, a swirl of colors,
energy everywhere I looked.

Step down, Anders, and then open your eyes.

I looked down and saw with closed eyes that the glowing
forms of Kalle and Kara were already below me on what must be the ground. I
stepped down, and stood among them.

“Open your eyes, Anders.”

The bright sun blinded me for a moment. I blinked a few
times.

Kara was smiling. Her teeth were dazzlingly bright. I would
have done anything to make her smile again, like that. She came up to me and
hugged me.

“We made it,” she said. “Can you believe it? I can’t believe
it’s remained undiscovered all this time.”

Her smell was intoxicating. I just wanted to melt into her.
It was a relief when she let me go, smiling wickedly at me. She must have
sensed what I was thinking. I hadn’t yet learned to shield my private thoughts.

I stood there in a daze, staring at the second gate. It was
covered with runes. They called out to us somehow, but their meaning was lost
to me. Still they had to mean something important. I wanted to trace all the
runes with my finger and make them glow, but I felt if I did that, something
would happen.

I wasn’t sure if it was something good or bad but it would
be something big.

On both sides of the gateway there was a high wall that
seemed to rise up forever, and curve inward. I could feel the power that ran
through it. The wall was covered with vegetation but my inner eye saw the glow
of runes through the vines.

Kara touched my shoulder. “Should we go in, do you think?”

Kalle cleared his throat. “We need to find a place to rest,
Princess. We need real food and clean water. Let’s explore this city and see
what we can find.”

I felt suddenly weary. Maybe Kara’s spell was wearing off.
Maybe the energy ride had drained me. In any case, I needed to rest, to sit, to
eat, to drink and to sleep. But something was nagging at me.

“I think there’s something about this gate,” I said. “These
symbols mean something, but I can’t figure it out.”

Kalle examined it.

“They are in an ancient tongue that we once knew, maybe, but
that’s been lost. If we could hear these words, we might understand them with
our sense memory. As it is, they mean nothing to me. Kara?”

She shook her head. “I looked at them at the other gate, and
didn’t understand them there, either.”

Kalle took a step, towards the gate. “I will enter.”

I shook my head.

There was something very wrong.

I couldn’t explain it. I just knew, deep inside that there
was something very important I had to do first. The problem was, I was so tired
I couldn’t think or even see straight. If I could only figure out what those
symbols meant. They were a key somehow, to something. I knew that much.

Kara nodded. “Then let us enter.”

I was still shaking my head like an idiot, but they either
didn’t notice, or they ignored me.

Kalle walked through the gate.

Except he never made it through.

It was as if he was suddenly flipped around. He walked in,
and then he walked out on the same side he had entered. He stood there, looking
confused, staring at us.

Suddenly the sun, that had felt hot on my neck, went away. I
looked up, and saw dark clouds. There was thunder in the distance.

I looked warily at the clouds, then at the gate, and the
wall that surrounded it. Was there something different about the gate, now?
Something slightly menacing, questioning?

A streak of lightning lit up the sky and struck the ground.
Close. Too close. Not even ten feet from where we stood.

I was thrown from my feet and landed on the ground.

I got up shakily. Rain poured down my face. I looked around.

Kalle was getting up to his feet.

But Kara.

I gasped.

She must have been closer to the blast, because she was
still on the ground, and something about the way she lay there sent a tremor
through me.

I ran over to her, trying to shake the tiredness out of my
head.

There was another streak of lightning, not as close this
time, but the thunder still came right away. If this kept up much longer, we
would all lose our sight and hearing.

I crouched down next to her. She just shook her head at me.

I’ll be all right. I think you were right about the
runes. Try to figure them out. We have to find shelter. If this lightning storm
is a warning, we may survive. But if it’s an attack, we’re dead, unless you
figure out how to get us through that gate.