“War is a bitter tonic that is hard to swallow. Death and horror will plague my nightmares until the end of my days. Will I ever return to my life as a princess? Am I doomed to struggle for the rest of my days?
Vartan, my love, he lives! We were torn apart by this war, and I can only hope that he doesn’t perish and leave me broken-hearted and alone in Marithia.”
The fire crackled loudly as it sent embers flying into the air. The Jade Inn’s fireplace warmed and lit the chilled faces of those who sheltered within. As a contrast to its usually lively atmosphere, this evening the inn was eerily silent.
Tusdar stared through the foggy window and caught a wolf as it howled deep into the dark night, its furry form atop a mountain shadowed by the bright light of the moon. He brought a cold cup of ale to his lips and drank deeply. He wiped away the froth and broke the silence. “Enough, people — that’s enough! Yes, we are in dark times, but let us celebrate and defy the tyrants that silence us."
A man in the crowd shrugged. “Celebrate?” he sneered. “What do we have to celebrate, Tusdar? Greenhaven is lost to us, and if our greatest city could fall… What hope do any of us have? It’s only a matter of time before they come for the rest of us. Everyone I know is dead at the hands of that witch Kassina, and you expect me to celebrate?”
Hildar put down a bottle at the bar with a piercing thud, interrupting them both. His smile was infectious and his eyes glinted as if still hopeful. “Indeed, Tusdar, we should celebrate! By the grace of the gods, we still have our lives, and that alone is worthy of a celebration, isn't it?"
A strikingly beautiful woman with long black hair covering most of her face, wearing ornate silky clothing, sat close to the fire, a violin poking out of her bag. Her chest heaved as she sighed, facing the fire, “Perhaps we are all missing the point. Your words are truer than an arrow piercing the heart. Thank you for giving us hope, in a time when all seems lost.”
Hildar poured a half glass of ale and slid it roughly across the floor to come to a shaky stop by her legs. “Sweet songstress, here's a drink on the house. Others may not recognise you, but I would know that famed voice anywhere. Lynn, would you be as kind as to sing for us and raise our spirits?"
Lynn turned her head and smiled warmly. She nodded in agreement and took out her instrument. Taking a deep breath through her full, red lips, she blew the dust off her violin. Everyone’s eyes fell on her in anticipation as she laid her bow into position. As she played the first sweet, soft note, they closed their eyes and thought of happier times.
She parted her lips and began to sing “The Legend of Talonsphere”:
“ In blood of scales and days of kings, came a boy to save us all.
Let us sing in merriment, our voices large and small.
For all we fear in the shadows, will be destroyed with the light.
Talonsphere rises from the ground, and brings fire to the night.”
Suddenly the inn’s door creaked opened slowly and two tall figures stepped through it. Everyone’s hair stood on end and a chill tickled their spines as they recognised the dark presences that had entered the room. The songstress gasped and lowered her violin as her song was interrupted, and all turned to see Kassina and Derian, arms crossed, standing in front of the now-closed door. Derian wore his royal robes and his father's crown. Kassina stood tall, with her hair draped over the leather shoulders of her corset and covering the right half of her face. Daggers were bound across her ribs and her tight pants disappeared into a pair of leather boots laced to her knees. The hilts of a pair of swords peeked out from behind her shoulders.
Tusdar reached behind his seat slowly and grasped Vartan’s bow, which was still resting against his chair. Sweat formed on his brow and his heart pounded in his chest.
“Songstress,” sneered Kassina, “you don’t have to stop on our account. Please, continue on with your tale of this legend.”
She took a seat with Derian near the fireplace, crossing her legs and dangling her boot playfully. As everyone remained silent, her smile morphed to a scowl. She twisted her wrist and sent a bolt of lightning into one of the men closest to her. He screamed out in agony as his body went into convulsions.
“I said, finish the song!” Kassina snapped. “Certainly you are not deaf as well as stupid, or I should be surprised that you could play such an instrument.”
Hildar's eyes narrowed defiantly. “That’s enough!” he growled. “Tell us what you want from us, witch."
Kassina viciously kicked back her chair as she rose in anger, snarling at the inn’s patrons. “How dare you! Is this how you greet your new king and queen? We should kill everyone, here and now, solely due to your insolence. Come to think of it, all of this is starting to make me feel hungry.” She turned her head to Tusdar’s table, watching him from the corner of her eye. “And please, get your hands off Vartan’s bow. I would recognise that weapon anywhere, and I can see exactly what you are doing. You, of all people, couldn’t handle such a weapon. I am sure you are not in the mood for much bloodshed tonight. Would I be right?”
Tusdar said nothing.
She arched an eyebrow. “Although it does bring to mind the obvious question, what on Marithia are you doing with his bow in the first place?” she asked, scanning the inn with her piercing eyes. “Is he here somewhere? Hiding upstairs, like the cowardly little boy that he is? Or shivering in some dark corner at my presence?”
Tusdar's voice strained and his lip quivered as he answered. “No, great sorceress… I mean… my Queen. His horse found its way home to the inn and I took the bow from his pack. You will not find him anywhere here, so you best look elsewhere if you want to find him. I speak the truth and would not defy you."
Kassina smiled, revealing small glints of fang. “Thank you for your amazing report. But you think you speak the truth? I’ll be the judge of what the truth is. Although it is a pleasure that finally there is someone here who can show his new queen the respect she deserves. As for the rest of you, I will spare all of your lives if you tell me where to find that slippery rat Aidan. Derian tells me that Aidan was the only royal guard to escape Greenhaven alive. His blood left a trail in this direction, so don't bother lying to me."
One of the men in the room spoke up. “My Queen, I was here a few days ago when Aidan was brought into the inn in Vartan's arms. He was taken upstairs by a healer, but that is all I know.”
Kassina turned to Derian and giggled. “Would you look at that, my sweet? We have some potential in these humans other than to whet my appetite. Consider your life spared, young man. Derian, let us pay a hospitable visit to the rooms upstairs, shall we?”
Hildar sent an icy-cold stare toward the informant as he interrupted them. “Why don’t you have some drinks and join us, so we can welcome you properly as our new king and queen? After all, this would be cause for a celebration and it would be an honour to serve you. There is nobody up there but a few of our paying guests. That man is confused, and I have never seen him here before today. My inn does not hold any injured men."
Trisa wet another soft rag with cool water and laid it gently on Aidan’s forehead. "You have already begun to heal and are well on the road to recovery."
The room was warmed by the small fireplace near the bed, and Aidan couldn’t help but feel very comfortable in her care. When he spoke, his voice was weak. “I don’t know how I will ever thank you, Trisa… you saved my life."
“It is not me you should be grateful to. I am just doing my work. Thank the young knight who left a pile of shiny king's gold to save you. I believe his name was Vartan."
Aidan smiled as he began to recall snippets of the events that had taken place. “Of course, I remember now. It was Sir Vartan. One kind deed deserves another, and I will never forget him. I owe Vartan a lot more than I ever did for him in Greenhaven. How long have I been here?”
“Many days have passed before your eyes opened, but your will is strong and so are my potions. Thanks to your friend's gold, I was able to make the rare ones needed to keep your body alive while I used enchanted scrolls to speed up the healing process."
All of a sudden loud, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs. Aidan shot up in bed and then winced, hunching over at the pain from his healing ribs.
He desperately searched for a weapon near his bed and he asked through quickened breath, “Who is that?”
Kassina and Derian ascended the inn’s stairs to discover three locked doors with low light escaping the cracks in the door. They stood at the entrance to the corridor, their silhouettes flickering shadows in the firelight from the inn's fireplace.
Kassina's laugh echoed down the corridor. “Derian, do you feel lucky tonight? Maybe we should get a room and start really enjoying our time together. What do you say?”
With a grin on his face, Derian marched his way to the first door and kicked it with all his might. He sent the door flying across the room, narrowly missing a frightened couple making love in the bed.
“Oh dear, it appears we interrupted something that we want to be doing. Don't let us stop you — please continue on with our blessing!” laughed Derian as they approached the second door.
Kassina shook her head and sighed. “Derian, do be more subtle. What good is anyone to us if you’re just going to splatter them like the bugs they are? Allow me." She lifted her index finger, which bore a ring in the form of a coiled snake, to the lock, and she whispered a spell. The lock hummed and clicked open. She eased the door open slowly as it let out a groaning sound. The room was empty, save the inn’s dusty furniture.
Derian pouted. “Does nobody ever clean this place? Disgusting! Well, that leaves only one room."
Kassina turned her head and stared disdainfully at Derian. “ Well, I would have never known that. How amazingly perceptive of you. Did they teach you to count in that big city as well?”
Trisa turned her attention to the door as footsteps came closer and the shadow of legs could be seen. “Who is it?” she asked, sliding a shiny dagger out from her boot.
Derian knocked playfully on the last door of the inn. “Hello, little mouse? Why don’t you just open the door for us and save us the trouble of opening it for you?”
They waited a few tense moments without a reply. Derian shrugged. "Then you best get out of the way!" he yelled. He growled as he booted the door open with his full strength.
Trisa spun around at the sound of the door being smashed open and crashing into her cottage walls, to see a tall man stumbling in and trying to keep his balance, his arms piled high with wood.
Trisa put away her dagger. “Jamik!” she yelled. “How on Marithia can you be so clumsy? The doors have handles, you know!”
Jamik replied sheepishly. “I’m sorry, madam. I lost my balance, as my arms are full of the firewood, you know? I tripped into the door.”
“By the gods, Jamik, you managed to scare us half to death!” said Trisa with a warm smile. “Thank the stars we moved out of that horribly small inn and came home. Remember that part of the healing process is to not kill people with fright, even if it does generate business.”
Jamik placed the wood down carefully and nodded as he closed the door behind him. Aidan eased himself back into his bed and rested his eyes once again. "I thought it was that wench, Kassina."
“Never fear, Aidan. I may not be a dark sorceress, but I have some tricks of my own. She would have great difficulty finding us here. In fact, nobody should be able to find us here. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for when you leave." Trisa walked to the corner of her room, heaved open one of the drawers of a dark, wooden desk and reached inside to retrieve an impressive pearly orb that emitted a slight humming sound. She sat at the end of his bed, her heavy robe draping over the blanket. “Now, I have something for you to try. If your heart truly desires an answer, you will see it in this orb. Some would believe that knowing answers can alter the path of their lives or bring them closure. Some would rather leave some questions unanswered. I will not force you to take it, but the choice is yours."
She held the orb out in the palm of her hand, and Aidan couldn’t help but look into it. The orb began to change colour to a light purple and hummed louder.
She smiled at him reassuringly. “Ah yes — it appears that your heart truly does seek an answer. Hold it tightly in your hands and ask of it whatever you wish.”
Aidan gently took the orb; surprisingly, it was as light as a feather. He lifted it up in front of his chest and stared deeply into it, his face hardening as he focused.
Does Vartan live? he thought.
Within the orb, he saw small flashes of movement and swirls of colour. At first it was just a few hues, then suddenly the mist cleared and he saw dragons as they flew higher in the sky than the eye could see.
“It can’t be-dragons don’t exist. Everybody knows that they died out long ago,” said Aidan.
“If you see it, then it is simply as it is,” replied Trisa. “Nothing is trickery in the Orb of Farsight. Dragons, you say? I would never have thought it possible either, but it must be so. That is certainly an interesting turn of events. We have not seen dragons in Marithia for a very long time.”
As the orb took him closer to the flying legends, he made out a man held within the claws of the largest of the dragons, his hair fluttering in the wind. Aidan beamed. “That must be Vartan. He is alive!”
Where are they headed? he wondered.
Suddenly, the vision in the orb flew ahead at incredible speed and lowered its view down to a city within a giant dome of sparkling magic.
Aidan's eyes widened as he blurted, “He’s headed to She’Ma’Ryn? But why would he do that? Surely Kassina will find them there. I have to get out of here and help him!” He tried to get up but fell back into the bed in agony and struggled to catch his breath.
Trisa smiled, but her expression was full of compassion for him. “The way you are now, you will not be helping anyone, regardless of your good intentions. You would instead need the help of others. If Kassina even attempted to set foot in She’Ma’Ryn, she would be torn to shreds within seconds. Have you never been there? The city has hundreds of enchanted guardians, and is a trade port between cities, lands and even between worlds. There are forces there that she would not even begin to understand. Elements that are unknown to Marithia can be traded there, which is likely why Vartan is headed to it. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to venture near the city-well, at least she wouldn’t want to be.”
“If the guardians are so powerful, why don’t they help us in Marithia?”
“My dear Aidan, it is so much more complicated than that. It takes immense power for those guardians and traders to even arrive into the realm of Marithia. The city itself was built to house them, and provide them with all the power they need to survive within its magical walls. The ancients built the city… with some help. They sent out messages throughout the stars with the promise of its protection, and in return for that protection, the guardians watch over it fiercely.”
What would Vartan want in She’Ma’Ryn? he thought.
The orb hummed as its vision flew closer; it got as far as the great gates to the city before it ground to a halt.
“I know of no powers great enough to breach the walls of the city,” said Trisa. “I think that’s enough magic for today.” She gently prised the orb out of Aidan’s hands and returned it to the drawer. Then she slipped into the bed beside him and whispered with a wink, “Now, would you like me to kiss you better?”