The Halfblood King: Book 1 of the Chronicles of Aertu (27 page)

Her captors were as talkative as ever.  After two and a half months together, she still did not know their names.  Stretch and Stubbs were the names they used for each other and were all she had to go by.  She assumed they did this on purpose, to avoid implication in their crimes.  If no one knew their names, or where they came from, it made it difficult to narrow any suspicions down to them. 

The medallion Aleron gave her for their engagement still hung against her chest.  He told her to always keep it with her and it would help keep her safe.  Aleron’s grandfather crafted it and she suspected it contained some elvish magic.  The crystal shone with an inner blue radiance, even in the most dim of light.  She hoped that somehow, it would allow her love to find her over the thousands of leagues.

***

Hadaras looked out over Ellesfort from the main deck, moments after boarding.  The porters were busy stowing his bags in the cabin he rented for the trip to Arundell.  Jessamine waved from the carriage they took from their cottage.  He returned the gesture and she wheeled the cart around, heading back out of town.  Numerous men simply stopped what they were doing a stared at the dark haired beauty making her way through the throng, earning several of them annoyed pokes and jabs from their wives.  He wondered, as he prepared to go below decks to set his things in order, why Gealton had not sent word to him earlier.  He could not have sent the message through the elvish ambassador, of course, as Hadaras’ identity was still a secret, but why hadn’t he sent a ground messenger by now? 
I could have been there six weeks ago, my friend.  Now I fear Aleron will need to penetrate all the way to Kolixtla to retrieve your daughter.  Considering the boy’s power, that could become an ugly scene very quickly.

***

The trio of ravens flew on across the desert for the third straight day.  As before, whenever they became tired or thirsty they alighted on solid ground and Aleron used the golden healing power to rejuvenate them.  Its efficacy showed no sign of abating and they used that to their advantage.  Aleron began to believe that they should return to their natural forms before too long.  He noticed that they were beginning to think more like ravens and less like men, the longer they maintained that form.  It would not do for them to forget they were men and why they were on this journey.  He decided that they would find a sheltered spot and spend the night as men.

As the day wore on into late afternoon, they saw a smudge of green on the horizon.  As they drew closer, it became apparent that an unmapped oasis was before them.  “
Good luck, lads, it looks like we found our place to camp for the night.  Let’s circle it a few times for good measure, before we land.”

“I don’t like the looks of this, Al,”
Geldun commented, after they circled and flew over several times.
  “What do you think, Barry?  There are no tracks leading to this place and I can’t believe the desert men don’t know it exists. 

“He’s right, Al.  Those nomads know every square inch of this desert and they’ve settled every water source in it.  Why would they leave this one out?

“It’s probably just a poison spring, is all,”
Aleron offered,
“but we don’t actually need the water, just a place to rest.  Let’s land and check it out. 
Several old ruins existed, looking to have been abandoned centuries ago.  They made for an ancient flagstone courtyard and landed, disturbing the rest of a large black scorpion that was sunning itself on the stones.  It turned its attention to Aleron and Geldun, raising its claws and tail menacingly.  Barathol swooped in behind it and neatly snipped off its stinger, before snapping it up and cracking it against the rocks.  He then proceeded to rip it apart and gobble down the pieces.

“Hey, share some of that,”
Geldun complained, before lunging in and ripping off one juicy claw, cracking it with his bill before swallowing it down.

“There, no more empty feeling,”
Barathol declared happily.

“You know, we will have regular food, when we turn back to men,”
Aleron reminded them.

“Oh…yeah,”
Geldun replied.

“I don’t care,”
Barathol retorted, “
That thing was tasty.”

Definitely thinking too much like ravens now,
Aleron thought, but kept it to himself.

Later that evening, after a dinner of stew, made from reconstituted meat and vegetables, they settled their bedrolls around the fire.  Finding that the water did indeed have a foul reek to it, they cleaned the utensils in the sand.

“I’ll take the first watch,” Aleron announced.  “Three bells apiece, who wants second?”

“I’ll take third,” Geldun chimed in, leaving Barathol with second watch.

“Bastards!” was his only response to the results.  Nobody ever wanted the middle watch.

“Gotta be quick there big guy,” Geldun quipped, earning him a backhand to the midriff.

“Yes, you do, little guy,” he shot back, as Geldun fought to regain his breath.

Two hours into his watch, Aleron got the feeling that they were not alone.  He maintained the trance state that Hadaras taught him, letting his senses feel for anything moving within a quarter league of the camp.  The desert is remarkably alive at night, so there was plenty moving.  What tipped him off was the sense of something quite large, moving out from the still water of the spring.  A pair of red eyes appeared at the edge of the firelight and Aleron said,
“Good evening and who or what might you be?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted man meat,”
the other replied, moving closer to the firelight and revealing its horned reptilian head and long sinuous neck, followed by rather stubby clawed feet.  It was a water wyrm, a sort of dragon.  That explained the stench to the water, along with the abandonment of the oasis.

“You won’t be tasting any this night either,”
Aleron assured it. 
“Now go back to your lair and no harm will come to you.”

“You dare threaten me, puny mortal.” 
This was pure posturing on the part of the dragon, since dragons are mortal, just very long lived, like elves.

In a flash of maroon energy, the serpent was punched through a mud brick wall and sent sprawling halfway across the oasis.  Aleron’s companions stirred slightly at the noise and then returned to their slumber.

“I told you, leave us be and no harm will come to you.”

The wyrm would have none of this and, shaking off the blow, charged straight at Aleron.  In a flash of white, the charging dragon suddenly veered into a charging gecko, barely larger than a grasshopper.  As the world grew suddenly large around it, the gecko stopped, then in a panic, scurried off to find a place to hide.

Two hours later, as Barathol paced along the edge of the firelight to stay awake, he noticed a tiny gecko scurrying alongside him and hissing almost inaudibly, so he stomped on it.

Chapter 30

Sildaenday, Day 5, Squash Moon. 8765 Sudean Calendar

Three ravens alighted atop the southeast battlement of Arundell’s Old Keep.  In a shimmer of white light, the birds veered to the forms of three Sudean marines in full kit.  A remnant of a bygone era, before the intense fortification of the outer walls of the city, this battlement was no longer guarded.  Aleron and Eilowyn would occasionally come here for a bit of privacy and to enjoy the view, on the rare occasion he managed to steal her away from her bodyguards.  It pained him to think that those two fine men were cut down defending his love and he was not there to help.

“Good, it’s unlocked,” he said, after checking the bulkhead accessing the stairs to the lower levels.  They hurried down several flights of stairs.  The old guard quarters were used for storage and minor offices, so they met no one before reaching the ground floor, where a guard stood by one of the entry doors to the main kitchen area.  “Guard, we need to see the Steward, now!” Aleron announced, shocking the young man.

“Halt!” he yelled, lowering his pike to guard position.  “Marines…Where in Zorek’s name did you come from?”

“The roof, get us to the Steward, now!  It’s an emergency.”  Aleron held his hand to stay Barathol, who snapped his own pike to guard.  “Call for the Sergeant of the Guard.  I don’t expect you to leave your post, but we need to move quickly.”

The guard screamed for the sergeant, who soon came running with two reinforcements in tow.  Aleron recognized the face from a previous visit, though he could not place a name to it.  “Sergeant Aleron,” the Sergeant of the Guard said, upon recognizing him, “we were told to be on the lookout for you.  The Steward wanted to see you as soon as you arrived.”

“They came from upstairs, not the door,” the flustered guard stated.

“Well, that explains why we didn’t get a runner from the gate then.  Neither here nor there…I don’t care how they got here; we just need to get them where they’re needed.  That will be all Private.  Sergeant, Corporals, please follow me.”

The sergeant led them through the kitchen and to the Stewards office, deep within the keep.  “Tell the Steward that Sergeant Aleron and his team are here to see him,” he instructed the orderly manning the front office.  As the orderly rose to announce their arrival, the Sergeant of the Guard turned to Aleron and said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I know why you came.   Bring her back and be safe.  May all the gods watch over you.” 

Aleron nodded, replying, “Thank you.”

With that, he signaled the other two guards to follow and proceeded back to his post.

The orderly called the three marines to enter the private office.  In their well worn and battle scarred armor, they looked out of place in the opulent surroundings.  Hadaras was seated beside the Steward’s desk and rose as Gealton did, when the trio entered.  “Greetings Aleron and company,” Gealton offered, “and thank you for making such great haste to get here.”

“Greetings, Lord Steward, Grandfather.  We wanted to get here as fast as possible.”

“You boys are all looking quite hale,” Hadaras observed.  “Barathol, you’ve grown, if that’s possible.  If I didn’t know better, I would swear you have some westman in your blood.”

“Thank you Sir, I guess…”

Hadaras just laughed and asked, “So, how was your flight, lads?”

“Good, but long,” Geldun offered, before anyone else could reply.

“I suspected you had something of the sort up your sleeve, lad,” Gealton stated.  “That’s why I sent cash with the courier.”

“Oh, about that, Milord, I only used a few coins to settle our tabs at the Thirsty Lizard,” he said, dragging out the coin purse and making to hand it back to the Steward.

“Mine and Barry’s, he means,” Geldun corrected, at the raised eyebrows from the Steward and Hadaras.  Cape Town’s Thirsty Lizard held quite an infamous reputation for the services available there, for those willing to pay for them.  “Mister excitement here just sits down in the tavern, sipping ale, when we go to port.”

“Keep the coin, lads,” the Steward said, a look of relief washing over his face.  “You may need it for something yet.”

“Considering the time of Eilowyn’s abduction and the sighting of her crossing into Castia several weeks back, I believe she will be in Kolixtla before you can reach her, even flying,” Hadaras announced.

“Yes, it didn’t occur to me that Hadaras could have spoken to you over distance, or I would have sent word to him months ago,” Gealton said, before continuing, “As it was, you got word to him before my messenger arrived in Swaincot and he was already on his way here.  I know you could likely use a good night’s rest and some dinner, but what else do you think you need?”

“I believe it’s time that I claim my sword, Lord Steward.”

“What do you mean Al?” Barathol asked.  “You have both swords, right there on your belt.”

“He doesn’t mean those swords, lad,” Hadaras informed him.  “Do you truly believe it is time?”

“Something tells me yes, Grandfather.  I believe we will need the power for what is to come and I feel that it is time that I claim my birthright.”

“When?”  was all that came from the Steward.”

“I don’t care to linger, after it is done,” he answered.   “Lads, do you feel an overwhelming need to spend the night, or may we proceed, with due haste?”

Geldun answered, “We know what you want to do, so let’s get on with it.  It’s still early in the day.”

“I agree,” Barathol seconded, “but I wouldn’t mind a decent meal before we roll out.”

“Good, you can all join me for midday meal and we will further discuss your plans,” Gealton offered.

The five were seated around the table in the Steward’s private dining and meeting room.  After the last of the wait staff departed, closing the heavy wood door closed behind him, Hadaras stated, “You know, Aleron, together, we could construct something to focus and concentrate your power, without the need to reveal the secret the sword now holds.”

“No, Grandfather, my dreams have been telling me, these past few weeks, that now is the time.”

“And, your dreams have revealed many truths,” Hadaras stated flatly.  “If the Allfather deems that it is time, then we must heed the summons.  I don’t believe the Kolixtlanis realized what they would precipitate, once they stole your girl, Gealton.”

“You’re right, my friend,” the Steward replied.  “This will mean out and out war, when the truth comes to light.”

“What is all this about birthrights and swords and wars?” Geldun asked the group.

“They don’t know?” Gealton asked, looking between Hadaras and Aleron, then to Aleron’s friends.

“We know he’s a halfblood, Lord,” Geldun stated.

“And, that he’s a wizard,” Barathol added, “but he just told us that a few weeks ago.”

“What compelled you lads to follow him on this outrageous quest?”

“He’s our best friend, Milord,” Geldun answered, “and he needs help getting his lady back, your daughter, I mean, Lord,” he finished, awkwardly.

“He would do the same for us,” Barathol continued, “that is, if we had ladies and all.”