This is a work of fiction; any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. This is the property of the author and is not to be copied without permission.
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Child of Rena Chapter 2 The of Beginnings By MRA
Cy turned to his new servant and asked, "Where is this place?"
"It is the city constables office. Lady Nalversa requested use of the lower cells since she knew no one would hear you being tortured here. She bribed one of the constables and snuck you in the back way and ordered me to begin your torture once you awoke but not to kill you until she arrived. Do you wish to wait for her and kill her master?"
Cy just smiled, "No, first the death of the wizard might have been relayed to her and she would realize something had happened here. Secondly, if we kill her she wont be able to have her little rebellion and I don't want stop the show, it should be entertaining." Cy giggled and then added, "Can you get us out of here with out alerting the constables?"
"With ease my lord." Velar responded.
All of a sudden a black cat darted down the stone stair and quickly moved to Cy and started purring and rubbing up against Cy's leg. The cat had startled Velar into drawing his sword but Cy just gave it a look of fond annoyance and said, "What do you want Kian, you aren't normally this friendly unless you are looking for something."
What happened next again startled Velar, the cat answered Cy, "I smell fresh death on you," The cat said still purring and weaving himself in between and around Cy's legs, "did you save me a treat?"
"No," and with that the cat, Kian, stopped purring and sat down looking disapprovingly at Cy, "I am sorry, I needed the energy from the kill to heal myself. Don't worry I am sure I will have an opportunity to give you a snack before too long."
"Well you better you only allowed me that one sailor on the way here and he was already dying from an illness, not a very satisfying snack at all, his energies were already depleted." Kian turned towards Velar and said, "Who is this, first day back on this continent and you are already raising an eisharis. Speaking of first day back on the continent how did you end up in a prison within an hour of getting off the ship, I thought you wanted to keep a low profile."
Cy just laughed and picked up the cat and started to pet him. At first the cat fought but then quickly started purring as he began to enjoy the attention. Cy asked, "Has all of my stuff been unloaded from the ship yet."
Between purrs Kian responded, "Yes, one of the sailors tried to open one of your cases but I lit his hair on fire, can you scratch under my right ear please." Cy laughed again as he did as the cat had instructed.
Velar watched this exchange in confusion, he could somehow sense the cat had an immense amount of energy held within it but couldn't tell what it the cat was. He was even more confused by the fact he could sense that since he had never had any sense of magic before. He was already feeling many changes happening to him that he didn't recognize or understand. Also the cat had said `raising an eisharis' in reference to Velar, and he had never heard that word before.
After this the strange trio headed towards the docks to buy a wagon and horses and then gather Cy's possessions and start their journey. They left the city without difficulty; no one suspected they were anything but a noble with his bodyguard. Velar wore new full plate mail, which should have been heavy but was surprisingly easy for Velar to move in. He had his bastard sword and shield on his back and a short sword at his side. He wasn't wearing a helmet and looked the like the image of a noble knight riding to war. His huge midnight black stallion he had chosen as a mount was war trained and walked towards the city gate with grace even with the weight of his armoured rider. Normally he considered naming an animal as foolish but still felt a special bond with this horse so he gave him the name Harbinger. Velar's short cut brown hair was greying at the temples but dark brown eyes were alert. He had a strong boned face and a scar on his right cheek. He was forty eight and a veteran of life and war, he showed readiness for anything in his every move and expression.
Cy showed a much different image. He had changed out of his ragged clothes into something fitting of a great noble. He wore no armour and only had his silver dagger sheathed at his side. He wore his silver red gemmed ring on his right hand and his bone one of his left. His shoulder length light blond hair moved slightly with the wind. His unnaturally silver eyes showed confidence and knowledge that seemed to great for someone of only twenty two and a half years. He had purchased a white mare for himself that seemed to move with the same unnatural grace as it rider.
Behind them followed the wagon they had purchased. On its driver seat Kian sat happily beside one of their new "friends" the other two rode in the back of the wagon. After buying the horses and wagon Velar had asked Cy which one of them would be driving the wagon team, Cy had simply responded that he would go find someone since he wanted Velar to stay by his side and he wouldn't be riding in the wagon. He called the cat to follow him and told Velar to wait with the wagon and Cy's goods. The young man and strange cat walked into the first alley they saw and disappeared. Velar thought it was foolish of them to enter a dark alley and was about to follow to make sure he didn't get himself into trouble, again, but he suddenly heard the distant sound of chilling music. A few minutes later he saw the cat prancing out of the alley looking hyper and happy and then came Cy, calm as always with his usual smirk of amusement, and after him came three others. They followed and their heads didn't move right or left the simply followed in perfect obedience. When they got close Velar saw that their eyes looked dull...and dead. Cy simply smiled and said that these fine men had volunteered to drive the wagon for us and then he mounted his mare, which he had named Blizzard, and begin to head down the road that would take them to the gate. Their new associates simply took their places on the wagon and got it moving after their new master. Velar realized then that he knew absolutely nothing of his new master...or his powers.
They left the city and Velar looked back at Erus the greatest city in the south and largest port in the land. There were only a handful of real ports in the lands under the Kabel Empire since most of the coastline was made up of jagged rocks and steep cliffs. Still he wondered why his new master chose this port to return to if his destination was Renar since they couldn't be much further apart. Renar was the north most kingdom of the empire and it had a port, Jeoset, located on it west coast. He wouldn't question it; so far everything his master had done had a purpose so there must be a reason.
Back in Erus the Lady Nalversa was just getting out of meeting with some of her supporters and looking forward to a little relaxation. She giggled at the thoughts of what she would do to that ignorant peasant who dared to speak to her so rudely. Suddenly Adept Tel, who served as her liaison to the alliance of mages that supported her, came running to her. This let her know something had gone wrong since mages never ran and especially not Tel who was extremely overweight. Still she let out a giggle watching the large man run towards her, it was a funny sight. When he reached her he was panting and his eyes showed fear, this scared her since Tel was one of the greatest mages from her home province of Laniam and well respected and feared in the whole empire. As soon as he caught his breath he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the now empty meeting room and locked the door.
"My lady I have grave news. I have just received word from Liald, Archmage Eriun is dead." She just looked at her ally and tried to process what he had said, Eriun had been one of her first supporters years ago. It had been him who had helped her move herself into a position to capture the heart of the heir Herisar. He should have been safe since he was in charge of maintaining her magical spy network and monitoring her agents, he shouldn't have been at risk at all. Liald was the capital of Laniam and her agents there were under heavy protections. Second he was an archmage who could almost qualify to become an adept few could have harmed him at all.
"What happened?" Lady Nalversa demanded.
"He was found in his work room and had apparently been attempting a death spell when he apparently had a heart attack but the mage that investigated says there was the feel of some unknown magic in the room and she didn't think the heart attack was natural." The adept responded. Lady Nalversa knew this was serious, first a mage's work room was heavily fortified with magic no attack, magical or physical should have been able to penetrate it. Second if the mage who found him had realized he had been casting a death spell it would have created a stir since it was one of the forbidden magics. Lastly he would have only been casting a death spell from his room if one of her magically bonded agents had found a way to betray her since magic like that required a bond to use.
"How did they attack?"
"Apparently the strange magic was found to somehow have come in through the death spell. That is what the residual energies suggest but we know of no magic that can do anything like that. It either means that one of your agents has either discovered the use of some form of magic or they have managed to get a mage to help them."
"We must get Velar and return to Liald immediately and rally my allies I can't afford to have things go bad at home, not when I am so close to being able to make my move."
She gathered her guards and headed to her carriage and both she and Adept Tel got in and headed to the constables office to collect her guard captain and unfortunately give the ignorant fool a quick death. When she reached the office she found a surprise and she realized who the death spell had been targeted at. Tel found signs of a powerful spell woven of strange magics had taken place. There was the jailer the constables had provided dead with no sign of anything that would have killed him. The lock on the cell appeared to have rusted off. Also though she might have been imagining it this place seemed unnaturally cold, far colder then even a dungeon should be. Who was this stranger she found in rags and what powers did he command that confounded even trained mages? And more importantly would he affect her plans? Could he be an ally or would he be an enemy?
At about the same time Tel was running to his mistress another mage was moving towards another person of great importance with grave news. This mage was a woman, tall and almost unnaturally thin. Her hair had silvered, not just with age but from long contact with magics most feared and shunned. Her eyes were pale blue and had the appearance of ice. Instead of running she moved calmly with such unnatural grace that those who saw her shivered and drew back from her. She didn't notice any of this as she moved towards the throne room of the Emperor. Her robes of pale grey seemed to shimmer as if they were coated in ice. She stepped into the doorway of the throne room and looked at the collection of courtiers, nobles, mages, merchants, and many more all hoping the Emperor would spare them a moment to hear their pleas or proposals. She quietly said, "Out." Even though it was almost a whisper everyone somehow heard it, heard it in their very souls which seemed chilled as if touched by the lady of death herself. Everyone obeyed instantly since no one wanted to oppose Arlana, High Adept of Necromancy, Favoured of Nellin the Lady of Death, Head of her followers in Canreen, and ally to the Dragon Throne of Kabel.
As soon as the last person left the room the Emperor Galarel with a small part of his dragon blooded will shut the door and sealed the room from prying ears or spells. He was a man of almost eighty but most would guess him no more then thirty if they ever saw him. The first time most people see a dragon blooded they expect to see a half human/half dragon or at least scales or some other dragon trait but dragon blooded seldom show any draconic traits. His hair was raven black and cut short and he was built like the warrior he was. The only trace of draconic blood in him was his eyes were golden with no whites. His blood granted him powers that the most powerful mages would drool over and unlike most of his kin who simply used it as it manifested itself he had actually trained it. He looked at his long time ally knowing something big had happened since the followers of the lady seldom walked the halls of his palace unless with purpose and that Arlana seldom left the her school outside of Kabel unless under the direct orders of Nellin.
"What has happened?" He asked, in court life that would have been rude to just say that with no pleasantries but first of all he knew she didn't expect them and second they had known each other for almost fifty years. She was the closest thing to a friend he had.
"The Veil has been breached." Was all she said and it was enough to make the most powerful man in the known world gasp. The Veil was one of the greatest secrets of the empire something not even the mages realized existed even though it was probably the greatest feat of magic ever cast. Only the descendants of the three groups who created it knew it existed. The necromancers who swore there allegiance to the dragon throne if they would aid in its casting, the dragon blooded of the royal and noble families who needed allies when the empire was still new, and the dragons themselves who saw the veil as an added protection to ensure no one threatened them. The Veil was an invisible wall that surrounded the entire land of Canreen and it did many things. It left an undetectable tag on any magic user who crossed it which allowed any of the three attuned to it to track them no matter where in the land they went. It protected the land from any attempts to scry into it from outside. It could even be turned to in wall of force if an outside force threatened them. None of those were the reasons the necromancers had given for wanting it made they were only things added to make it appeal to the dragons and the dragon blooded. Galarel didn't even know what there true purpose was except they had said they wanted to cleanse the land of the forsaken and prevent any from entering it. Galarel could not believe anything could breach such powerful magic without him feeling it, he sent his mind into himself and then moved it around the Veil and didn't find any breaches. Suddenly he felt it an almost completely undetectable hole located in Erus.
"How could this happen, the Veil should have stopped anything brought against it."
Arlana Looked at him and said, "Apparently a forsaken has discovered a weakness in the Veil. The Veil is designed to keep the forsaken out but apparently by entering it at the same point he left through it was weakened and he was able to breach it with his powers."
This statement caused the emperor to raise his eyebrows, "He? You speak as if you know him. Also what are the forsaken you and your fellows always avoid speaking of them but seem to hate them...and fear them?"
"I FEAR NO PRETENDER! HE IS ABOMINATION!" Arlana yelled and the dragon blooded emperor, veteran of dozens of campaigns, master of the draconic magics, and most powerful man in then known world stepped back in surprise and fear. He had never seen any strong emotion in any necromancer and Arlana had always seemed devoid of ever minor emotion. Pretender...what did she mean by that? Arlana continued again with her emotions back in check, "Most forsaken would die on there own if left to it since they don't understand what they are doing and for other more practical reasonsbut occasionally one lives so the necromancers kill any that are...born, I guess that is the best word for it if not very accurate. I don't know who he is but only one has ever managed to avoid our hunt in this land and he fled from the port of Erus almost fourteen years ago. We figured the Veil would keep him from ever returning, we were wrong. We don't speak of them since it is heresy to the lady to talk of them with any outside our order."
"How should we deal with this then? Is he a threat?" Galarel asked.
"Of course he is a threat the question is how much of one. We must kill him before he gets a chance to be a threat." Answered the necromancer.
"So how do we find this forsaken and what powers does he possess?"
"He will head to Rena, it all began in Rena." Arlana responded.
"And his powers?" The emperor prompted.
The mage priestess of death looked at the emperor and once again he sensed fear in her, then she answered, "I don't know. No one knows..." With that she turned and walked towards the doors of the throne room. As she left she whispered to herself, so low no human could hope to hear but the emperor was not human and he heard and what he heard chilled his bones in a way he didn't understand, she had said, "No one knows, I doubt even the goddess knows."
Velar was riding beside the wagon talking to Cy, he was discussing his former mistresses plans. Cy actually seemed impressed that she had arranged so much without alerting the Dragon blooded lords of Kabel, he seemed quite pleased that many of the strategies were of Velar's design. Velar was in the middle of a sentence when he saw Cy's head shoot to straight ahead like he had heard something Velar couldn't hear. Velar suddenly felt a strange sensation which he could only describe as his brain feeling itchy. Cy suddenly yelled to the cat, "Kian guard the wagon me and Velar are riding ahead."
The three `helpers' drew cudgels from there belts and looked ready for action if still vacant eyed. The cat however responded, "I want to come I can feel it too, it's a feast waiting for me, I can already smell it." The cat was drooling and had a dreamy look on its face. "I am coming you can't keep me away."
Cy responded, "Kian I command you to guard the wagon." With that the cat suddenly fell on the wagon seat and started twitching for a few seconds.
After he stilled he answered, "As you command my master, I am sorry I forgot my place."
"I apologize for doing that my friend but I don't have time to argue." With that Cy signalled Velar and they rode as fast as the horses would bare them ahead. Before long they could see the outline of a town along the road. As they got closer Velar realized there was a battle in progress. The villagers were poorly armed and outnumbered by a motley group of fighters. However the villagers weren't being slaughtered as Velar would have suspected since among there ranks was someone who obviously knew how to fight. He was young looking probably around twenty or twenty one his hair was dark brown and would have hung around his ears but was flying as he performed a dazzling display of fighting that was keeping the attackers disoriented enough for the villagers to hold them at bay if not truly fight them off. He was wielding a rapier in his left hand and a poniard in his right. He was wearing very little armour but it made no difference since none of the four fighters engaging him could even come close to landing a hit. By this time both sides were beginning to notice the two horses charging towards the battle Velar had his bastard sword in hand and looked intimidating and deadly. Cy held his dagger in hand which looked kind of silly with his pompous clothes. Velar moved his horse towards him with the intention of shielding him as they entered the fray but just as the horses came close to the first bunch of attackers Cy did something that completely took Velar by surprise he looped his arm on Blizzard's neck and swung down towards the first two fighters. Before his feet even touched the ground they were both dead and Cy's silver dagger shoen red with blood. Cy moved into the battle with speed that was unnatural and had two more dead before Velar realized he wasn't paying attention but was staring. He had never known of a mage that knew how to fight too. Velar was suddenly knocked out of his thoughts by Harbinger rearing up and then falling with an arrow in its neck. Velar quickly recovered and was on his feet in an instant. This surprised him since the armour he was wearing should have given him more difficulty since it was heavy, or at least should have been. Soon the attackers were retreating with the addition of two more skilled fighters. With each kill Velar felt stronger and noticed that everyone seemed to be moving slower, or was he moving faster?
Tayn looked at the town ahead of him with a sigh of happiness. He hadn't slept in three days and was craving anything except trail rations. His three charges looked like they were about to collapse. The oldest was Jilel who was only ten and she was trying to keep the other to moving and keeping them calm. She was already the leader of the three even though none of them had known each other two weeks earlier. The other two was a boy of eight and another girl of five. Children like them were rare in the twelve kingdoms, or at least eleven of them, Tayn's homeland of Torak being the exception. He and those like him, like the children he protected, tried to gather them before they hit puberty since that is when they would show signs of what they were. That is when most of them usually died. It had started with a few like him in Torak gathering together and trying to bring peace to his troubled land. Now there were hundreds of them most trying to cleanse Torak of the taint of the past the hunted the land still. A few though were sent out to find those like them in other lands, lands were they were persecuted against and killed. Tayn was young but not as young as he looked; he was twenty-five but could easily pass for several years younger thanks to his nature. He was only a child of six when they had found him and started training him. Now he was the greatest of them all in battle and quite skilled in the use of the others abilities those like him had. Since the children were all before puberty they showed no sign of what they were, they didn't even realize what they were. Tayn on the other hand had a few more interesting traits but hid them well.
As soon as he herded his three charges into the town inn he paid for a room in the place and meals to be sent there, far more food then four people should be able to eat probably enough for nine or ten full grown men. That's probably one of the few differences the children might have noticed about themselves, they needed a lot of food. He also asked for a basin of hot water they could use to wash themselves with. He tucked the children into the only bed in the room and after they were asleep Tayn sat on the floor and leaned back against the wall and slept. If he had his way he would sleep for a whole day.
He woke up around noon the next day to a scream, the children looked scared so he told them not to leave the room and told Jilel not to let anyone in except him. He grabbed his blades and leaped out the window, which was a feat since it was on the second floor. He quickly saw the source of the scream, a woman hunched over the body of a young boy of maybe twelve who was already lying in a pool of his own blood, he was already dead. There was a man with a spear standing near her laughing and approaching her. He didn't even see Tayn before he was dying, his throat slit. The next fifteen minutes Tayn ran all over the town fighting off the bandits and herding the villagers back towards the inn where they could rally themselves. Finally after he had herded the last group he could find back towards the inn he headed there himself only to find the bandits were more numerous then he had realized. He had never heard of bandits being this bold or this organized. They were fighting as a group, the villagers stood no chance. The only thing keeping them from being slaughtered was the fact the bandits were not aiming to kill. They probably planned to sell them as slave to a slave trader along the coast. The children, elderly and most of the women were in the inn, well the men and a few women tried to fight off the attackers. Tayn charged into the battle with an almost sort of glee as he entered a battle lust that only those like him could understand. He knew enough to keep the attackers as unorganized as possible or else the villagers would be slaughtered and he would have to face them alone.
Suddenly through the pulsing of his blood and the sounds of battle he sensed the battle was changing and he noticed two new combatants had entered the fray. One had the look of a war veteran and had the look of a Kabelan, and fought like a follower of the blade. He moved faster then Tayn had seen most normal humans move, which was shocking since the armour he wore should have made moving difficult. He fought with grace, skill, and confidence of someone who knew what they were capable of. It was the other one that distracted Tayn. He only barely stopped the axe that was clumsily thrown at him he quickly got back into the rhythm of the battle. Still he kept an eye on the other fighter. He was dressed in clothes that had no place in a battle and wore no armour at all. He fought with only a dagger which should have got him slaughtered but he moved around every attack with ease and efficiency. His light blond hair flew as he danced through the battle bringing death behind him. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the light and his face was a mask of concentration. Tayn doubted he had ever seen anyone as beautiful. It wasn't long before the battle was over with not one survivor on the attackers' side; none had managed to run from the deadly trio. It had felt like an eternity but the entire battle from the point Tayn had jumped out the window had only taken twenty five minutes, only ten minutes had the battle before the inn lasted. Thirteen villagers were dead and almost fifty wounded. After a count they found sixty-two bandits which didn't make sense, how could that many work together without drawing notice. As soon as he was sure the battle was over ran to check on the children who were fine but scared. Jilel he could sense a hunger in, for battle...and more, not a strong one but it was there. She must be already starting puberty.
As he left the building again, this time by the door he saw the woman from earlier once again standing over the body of her child crying, suddenly the blond one was beside her, he looked at the child in shock. Tayn walked towards him once again entranced by his grace and beauty. His eyes were now closed and his face again filled with concentration. Suddenly his eyes opened and he looked truly surprised. He turned to the mother and said, "Your son may yet live take him home and wash the blood off him. He may yet survive but if he does he will be changed."
The woman asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing, if he can't do this alone then he will be dead but if he survives then he must come with me or be truly killed." The woman looked scared but did his biding and lifted her son to take him home. He then stood up and turned around and his eyes locked with Tayn's, his eyes were silver and his face looked shocked but also showed recognition, he knew what Tayn was. Tayn was expected an outcry or for him to attack but neither happened instead he simply smiled and said, "Haven't seen one of your type in a while what are you doing in a town like this? By the way the name is Cy."
Tayn almost stumbled at the fact the he recognized what he was and didn't seem scared or hostile but actually seemed friendly. "Tayn, I am..." Tayn realized he didn't know how to describe what he was doing. He didn't have since out of nowhere three small shapes were suddenly tackling him with hugs and saying they didn't want to be left alone.
Tayn looked over at Cy feeling embarrassed but was met with a huge smile, "Don't worry your secret is safe with me, and theirs' too. You are protecting them from their fate, I understand. I might have to do the same soon too."
Before Tayn could reply the town mayor was charging over to thank them for their help. He was talking so fast Tayn couldn't even understand what he was saying half the time. Apparently they were going to have a feast in honour of those who died and also to thank them for their help. As he was finishing up Tayn noticed a wagon rolling up not far away. As soon as it stopped a cat jumped off it and ran towards Cy it gave him a look that was almost resentful and Cy looked guilty but the expression on each was short lived the cat was purring and Cy started laughing as he begin to pet it and scratch its neck. All of a sudden the cat looked over at Tayn and stared in a very uncat like way and Tayn felt something from the cat, something familiar, something not natural, but something Tayn couldn't quite place. After a second or two the cat was back to acting like a cat and Tayn almost thought he imagined the look on the cat's face as it looked at him.
Cy looked like a kid as he began to play with the cat, the mayor was looking confused at this person covered in blood, dressed like a noble, who fights with amazing skill, and who was now acting like a five year old. Tayn thought it was cute. Suddenly the cat nipped his finger he looked surprised for a second and then laughed. He picked up the cat and said, "How rude of me to forget to introduce my friend for the last six years, this is Kian." The cat even made a move with its head that looked a little like a minor bow. The mayor looked a little uncomfortable being introduced to a cat, which caused Cy to laugh again.
The mayor did a bow and said he had to get to the unfortunate business of burying the dead and was about to turn when Cy stopped him, "It has been a hard day for you and your people so you worry about burying your dead and my men will work to dispose of the bodies of the bandits." The mayor was about to refuse but was cut off with, "I insist." Tayn looked over at the wagon and saw that three men had left the wagon and were beginning to drag bodies outside of town. Cy hadn't even looked in their direction. Now he knew for sure Cy had secrets too. He watched Cy and the armoured man begin to drag bodies themselves as well, and wondered what he was up to.
Later that night the town began to gather in the town hall beside the inn for the feast. The whole town had turned out, at least a hundred and fifty, there were tears and sadness but they were thankful they had been spared a worse fate. If the bandits were slavers then many of these people might have already been loaded on a ship and sent to lands far away. Tayn and his charges were enjoying the feast, there host were shocked as they devoured everything put before them, Tayn not so much as the children this time since his hunger wasn't as great as usual. Cy or his companions were nowhere to be seen, Tayn almost was about to go looking when he caught a strange sound. It sounded like a song in the wind, it was uncomfortable to hear. Everyone was suddenly looking scared since the song shook the nerves of even the bravest. Someone near Tayn was suggesting that they go check it out and a few agreed but no one moved. After a few minutes the song stopped and the atmosphere slowly returned to what it was. Several minutes later Cy came in flanked by his armoured guard.
Tayn wondered what secrets Cy held. He knew if he was smart he would forget about Cy and gather his charges and head home as soon as possible, but he couldn't. He could feel a connection beginning to form with the handsome young man something he couldn't describe but something powerful. He also had the feeling that something greater had begun today, possibly several somethings. Tayn felt that the haunting music he had just heard signalled something more, he was confused by the child that was dead but according to Cy could still survive. He was confused to why a Kabelan was serving anyone besides a Kabelan noble or a great noble of one of the lands. He flet like the wind was changing and the world he knew would change with it, but would it be the beginning of something better?...or worse?
To be continued...
Please send any comments to mailto:MRACoR@hotmail.com
I will be a while longer on the next chapter probably two weeks at the earliest but it could be longer. I don't want to make any promises in case I cant keep them but will try for as soon as I can.
I hope you enjoyed it.