Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition (14 page)

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?”

Kassina - by Guido Leber

Chapter 8: How I Wonder

“I have never seen such childish rage - they
almost tore the place apart! Now I have to rebuild so much
furniture, fix the locks and the broken doors, and somehow make
everyone feel safe enough to come here again. Maybe I should just
give up the Inn, but that would be what they want me to do.

I suppose we really should count ourselves
lucky. In Kassina’s haste, they both left the inn without shedding
any blood. The gods only know if we’ll be so lucky next time they
pay us a visit.

How long will it take before a hero will rise
to face them? Somebody has to save us all.”

(Hildar, Innkeeper)

The moon shone brightly in the inky,
star-speckled sky, as if a god had opened a single eye to gaze upon
the troubled realm of Marithia. The lands were fast asleep, with
only the howls of wolves and gentle hoots of owls breaking the
uncomfortable silence. A lone wolf made its way through the shadows
of the trees, heading towards the mystical lights of the great
trade city. It stopped for a moment to sniff the humid air,
breathing out faint curls of mist in the moonlight, and allowed the
smells of the night to guide its way forward. The wolf was suddenly
startled by wildly swaying trees. It stared into the sky and cocked
its head in recognition. Lowering its ears, it bolted away from the
city, disappearing into the cover of darkness.

One by one, the dragons landed in the forest,
finding gaps between the trees to fit their great bodies into.
Having flown through gathering clouds, they shook the now muddied
water off their hides. Vartan also shook off the blown dust, and
turned his gaze to the magnificent sight of She’Ma’Ryn. His sharp
intake of breath gave away his surprise.

The city was built into the side of a tall,
rocky mountain, as if a giant section of it had been cut out solely
for the purpose. A gigantic magical dome protected the city, and
through it a thin beam of white light shot up past the stars and
into the unknown.

“This is amazing!” proclaimed Vartan. “So now
I have finally seen the wondrous She’Ma’Ryn my father always talked
about. If I were him, I’d surely like to come more often than once
a year!”.

Karven laughed. “Of course you would, Vartan.
But the guardians of the city only allow Marithians one visit a
year, unless they have been granted special rights by the council
of traders."

Two dragons approached, pushing a heavy cart
containing two wooden chests laden with treasures. The closest
dragon bowed and breathed, "The trade treasure is all accounted
for, as you ordered, sire."

The sound of twigs breaking and leaves
rustling filled the air as Karven pushed the cart towards Vartan
with his nose. Vartan nodded to the dragons and dragged the heavy
cart in the direction of She’Ma’Ryn as he continued the
conversation. He spoke through puffed breaths. “I see. Well then,
how do you suppose
we
are going to get inside the city right
now? It’s not the right time of year, is it?"

Karven cocked his head as he spoke. “I happen
to be the very first trade councillor, and I can grant you
permission to enter at any moment of my choosing. How do you think
the ancients built the city? Do you think they carved it into the
mountain all by themselves? You will see that dragons are capable
of building more than just weapons.”

Vartan's reply was soft. “I see, Karven,” he
smiled. “It appears that there is far more to dragons than I first
realised."

They approached the city on a well-beaten
path that led to two gargantuan marble statues of dragons. As the
statues came into sight, the travellers could see the heat escaping
the nostrils of the statues and their shiny blue eyes moving to
follow their position.
Well, that makes sense,
thought
Vartan in hindsight.

In between the statues stood two heavily
armed guardians, protected by the magic dome. Vartan had never seen
anyone like them before. They were twice the size of the biggest
man he had ever laid eyes upon. Their armour was a strange shade of
blue that lightened and darkened to blend in with their
surroundings. The guardians drew their weapons as Vartan and the
dragons neared the gate. At first their swords appeared quite small
and ill-equipped in their oversized hands, but then they gripped
the handles of their swords tightly and the weapons’ enchantments
activated; their blades slid out with a strange metallic ring,
doubling their length.

One of the guardians raised a hand at them
and boomed, “State your business here and do not attempt to enter
without permission. Consider yourselves warned—if you value your
lives, heed our warning and go back the way you came."

Karven adjusted his scales to reveal his
enormous body towering beside them, and lowered his head to meet
the guardians on their level. “Vartan travels with me and has my
permission to enter the city. His purpose is only to trade. I
understand your caution, but there is no need for concern here.
Please step aside and let him pass.”

The guardians squeezed their sword handles
and retracted their weapons back to their original states. They
both bowed towards Karven and resumed their positions.

“Great Councillor, please accept our
apologies," said one of the guardians. "Vartan's entry is granted
as an exception with your permission. There are only traders from
other worlds within the city at this time, as it is not yet the
season for your world’s trade festival. We hope their offerings
will suffice. Will you grace the city with your presence today,
Councillor Karven? Should we alert the Council?”

“No need to alert anyone,” responded Karven.
“I will not be entering tonight, and will await Vartan’s return
here.”

“As you wish, Councillor. We will watch over
him closely to ensure his safety. No harm will befall him within
our city. Please, Vartan, walk through the gate - you are safe
here,” said the other guardian. He beckoned for Vartan to come
inside.

The guardians both pushed on a device hidden
from view in the back of the statues. The magical wall hummed as a
pulsing purple slit appeared in the dome, which then widened and
created an open gateway to allow him through.

The voice of Karven filled Vartan's mind.
Vartan, remember that you carry with you a great deal of dragon
and elven treasure. Do not waste it. How you trade is entirely up
to you, but make sure it is a worthwhile trade and try not to spend
too much time.

Vartan nodded in agreement, and walked
through the opening to the city. As he stepped through, the sheer
scale of She’Ma’Ryn came into view. Until this moment, Vartan had
thought that Greenhaven was the largest city in Marithia.
She’Ma’Ryn contained a spiderweb of streets crowded with both small
and large buildings. Smoke bellowed from the many forges and
occupied buildings. In all directions, guardians patrolled the
streets. There were literally thousands of them, all of them
heavily armed.

No wonder nobody ever tries to enter the
city. Do these guardians ever sleep?
thought Vartan.

A gate guardian turned his head towards
Vartan and cocked it with curiosity.
No, Vartan, we do not
sleep. As we are creatures of magic, we do not require what you
would call sleep. And we can hear you when you speak through your
mind, just as we can hear the thoughts of anyone else who visits
our city.

“I imagine that would come in handy to
eliminate theft and crime?” asked Vartan.

“This is true, and we enjoy a mostly
crimeless city as a result. We have zero tolerance for crimes, and
theft is punishable by death.”

Vartan's face paled. “Stealing is punishable
by
death
? That’s a bit over the top, don’t you think? What
do you do to murderers?”

“The law is the law, and we serve the law,
not question it. For our city to exist as a safe destination for
many worlds, we need to adopt the highest levels of control. All
crimes against the safety of the city or the people within the city
are punishable by death. This is something that we make abundantly
clear to anyone arriving here. Speaking of which, you may want to
take a look at the interstellar portal. Be sure that it is only
your sight that nears the building as it is off limits.”

In the centre of the city was a gigantic
structure surrounded by yet more guardians. The building looked
unlike anything he had ever seen. Its great doors were heavily
guarded, but the building itself appeared almost like a living
creature. Resembling a flower, its many metallic layers opened and
closed like massive petals. It connected to the central beam of
light which shot up and out of the city. Vartan stopped in his
tracks and stared at it with his mouth gaped wide. "I have
never
seen anything like that before."

One of the guardians raised a finger to the
building as the other turned to return to the gate. “Vartan, that
is the only area you are not permitted to enter. There will likely
be plenty of things here that you have never seen before. You are
our guest, and as such, you are allowed to trade at any building
with a raised flag. The raised flag signals to you that it is
occupied with traders who are ready to conduct business. Is there
anything in particular you are seeking?”

Vartan's imagination ran wild with ideas, but
he remembered Karven's words. “Unfortunately, my time here is
short. Where can I buy weapons and armour?"

The guardian pointed out one of the larger
buildings to the north. “That is the District of Bloodshed; you
will find what you seek there. You are lucky to visit the city at
this time, as the traders are just preparing new stock for the
upcoming trade festival. You will get first choice of their
wares.”

Vartan nodded his thanks and boldly headed
down the indicated path. On the way, he couldn’t help but take
notice of other traders in the surrounding districts. There were
beings of all kinds within the buildings. Some were human and
elven, but most were clearly not from the world of Marithia. One
district was alive with colour and activity. Strange music emanated
from a building within, its beat making his heart pump faster with
excitement.

It wouldn't hurt to take a little look,
would it?
he thought.

Wheeling his cart, he approached the district
and took note of the flying flag. It appeared to be made of silk
and lace, but it flew unnaturally slowly, as if it were in slow
motion. Suddenly a tall voluptuous woman approached him. Her skin
was a dark shade of grey; her hair was eerily translucent, and her
eyes glowed blue. She extended a gloved hand to meet his and walked
him toward the district's stores as she spoke with him. Her voice
was almost a whisper. "We don't usually have outsiders visit the
District of Pleasure before the festival. Welcome, I am Madame
Flarantine, and this entire district belongs to me."