Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition (19 page)

There is only one thing left to do. May
the gods save me,
he thought.

With a sharp turn to the right, Tusdar leapt
over the edge of Greenhaven’s land and plummeted head first towards
the flowing river below.

The golem stopped in its tracks and looked up
at Kassina in confusion, not sure of what to do next. The arrows
rained down on Tusdar’s last position, destroying many of her
skeleton warriors that had charged onto the target path.

“Mindless fools! Watch where you are going!”
snarled Kassina.

The rest of the skeleton warriors quickly
circled around the golem. They hissed in anger at Aidan and waved
their weapons in the air to intimidate him.

“What a simpleton! Nobody could survive that
fall. At least the fish will have a fine supper tonight,” laughed
Kassina. “Bring Aidan to me, Glaucus. We have waited
so
long
to get better acquainted. As for the rest of you, the night’s
events appear to be over for the time being. I want every area of
this castle searched for intruders before the walls are repaired.
We cannot afford to become complacent and take any more stupid
risks.”

She stared into the blackness of the night
and let out a long sigh, her breath turning to curls of fog in the
chill night air. Turning around to head back inside, she adjusted
her clothes in discomfort. Marching away from the castle walls, she
muttered, "Well, I suppose my entertainment is over for the
evening... I had best find myself a new pet."

Chapter 12: The Calm Before the Storm

“I suppose that I really
should
be
more excited. Not every Truth Pendant happens to be bonded to a
human born of dragon’s blood, with such a journey ahead of him.
These dragons are very interesting creatures, and I have never seen
anything like them. They are truly extraordinary.

But the story of Vartan’s life so far fills
me with concern. If he really is fated to destroy the Forces of
Darkness, then he would be the primary target of every unimaginable
enemy out there. As I am bonded to him, I share his position as the
number one target for assassination or death in this entire
world.

For some strange reason, I do not find
comfort in that fact.”

(Keturah, Truth Pendant)

Helenia raised the cup of sweet elven tea to
her nostrils with quickened heartbeats of anticipation. She drew a
long whiff of the brew, and let out a breath laced with
nostalgia.

“Such delightful sensations remind me of
home, mother,” said Helenia. “Do you remember those cinnamon honey
teas you used to make for us? I really miss how we used to talk for
hours in the dining room with father.”

Andrielle sat quietly by her foggy window.
She wiped away the fog with her hand and watched the fading image
of thousands of men and women as they trained tirelessly with
Faowind and Dryden. The mystery of a new weapon proved to be a
welcoming distraction for them all, and a fresh burst of hope. She
took another sip and turned to Helenia to address her.

“Those were peaceful times, my love. But this
is your home now.
Our
home. And those days are now long
behind us. We need to focus on the future and make new
memories.”

Andrielle’s eyes saddened as she looked back
out the window. She spoke with conviction. “Look at them all, ready
to give their lives selflessly to save us. We are so lucky to be
alive, you know? I can’t believe that we have made it this far.
When I look outside, I see so much hope and strength. I need you to
learn from them, gain their trust, and in time… lead them. I won’t
be around forever, and the gods only know if we can bring an end to
the dark cloud that has blanketed all of us. I need you to become
the queen that will one day, rule."

“Mother, that is exactly what I have tried to
explain to you time and time again. I want to be out there
beside
them, training to fight and helping us to win this
war. I want to avenge the murder of my father. What good are a
queen and princess if we just sit here while they fight in our
names?"

Andrielle turned sharply to look her daughter
in the eyes with serious intent. “Do you
not
understand why
I ask you to stay here? What do you think would happen if you were
to die on the battlefield?” asked Andrielle, as her eyes twinkled.
“I have already lost my husband, our people have lost their king,
and you have lost your father and brother. I
will
lead them
into battle when the time comes, rest assured of that. But there
really is no need to have you risking your life. Nothing you or I
do will bring Arman back to us, and the pain of his loss should
serve as a reminder of our purpose. Our people need at least one of
us to remain alive to rebuild Greenhaven when we win this war. You
want to be useful to the war effort? Look at all the reinforcements
we have received from human cities far from our lands, all thanks
to your brilliant plan to send messenger dragons.”

Helenia sat quietly as her mother paused to
sip some tea. Her lips gaped wide toward her mother without finding
any words to fill them.

“We both have roles to play in this war, and
our hearts are yet to heal the wounds inflicted upon them. I
understand how you feel… do you not realise that I feel the same
way? I also long to be the one to thrust a sharp blade into
Kassina’s stone-cold heart, but we must not allow our pain to cloud
our minds,” said Andrielle, as she wiped away the tears on her
cheeks.

Helenia approached her mother and held her,
laying her head close to her chest. She did not say a word as she
held the queen, but allowed her mother a moment to quietly
weep.

Andrielle's voice broke as she placed her
hand on Helenia's arm and whispered to her. "My beautiful daughter.
I see so much of myself in you. I don't know if you realise just
how proud I am of you. I have no words to express my regret that I
ever gave birth to your brother. He may just prove to be the death
of us all."

Helenia lay a kiss on her mother's head and
sighed deeply. "I don't think that any of us can understand what he
has become... But I can't say that I couldn't see the signs."

Andrielle turned to face her and asked, "Why
didn't you say something?"

Helenia slumped into her chair, picking up
the tea she had placed on the table. "How could I? What was I going
to say? ‘Mother, I think that your son wants to kill us all’?"

Drying her eyes on her sleeve, she asked,
"How long did you know?"

"I never knew for sure... I just always had a
feeling of not being safe around him. Even when we were children...
He always tried to hurt me, but I suppose you must have just
thought it to be sibling rivalry."

"Oh, Helenia, I..."

The sound of loud banging on the house
startled them both, and Andrielle dropped her cup of tea, which
shattered on the ground.

“Who is it?” snapped Helenia.

“Please forgive me for the intrusion, Queen
Andrielle. It is only me, Karven. May I see you?” asked the Dragon
King. His voice trailed away from the door.

“I am sorry, Helenia. We shall continue this
discussion later, my darling,” said Andrielle as she laid a soft
kiss on Helenia’s forehead. She got up, took a moment to look at
her daughter, and proceeded to open the door.

“Is everything alright?” she asked him,
closing the door behind her.

“Would you care to join me for a short walk?”
asked Karven, gesturing with his head for her to follow him.

“Of course,” replied Andrielle, managing a
wide smile.

They began their walk together while the
queen wiped the tears from her eyes. She took some deep breaths and
shook out her hands.

“Your concern for Helenia is felt by all of
us. I can see the terrible fear in her heart, but I wonder if you
can see through her mask of strength?” asked Karven.

“I see that you don’t waste time in getting
to the point, Karven, and I do appreciate your honesty. Of course I
am afraid for her. She wants to put her head on a chopping block,
all in the name of avenging her father’s murder,” said Andrielle,
before mumbling something in Elven under her breath.

As they headed towards the barracks, a small
fairy flew out from the forest and landed into her arms. It giggled
as she stroked it and held it closely to her chest.

“I understand your pain,” said Karven. “If
one of my own betrayed me, I would also be forever wounded. We
raise our young with the best of intentions, but they carve their
own paths and make their own decisions. Their life choices are not
the fault of your own and neither are their allegiances and
motives. As you seek comfort from the young fairy in your arms,
Helenia seeks comfort from Vartan."

Andrielle stopped in her tracks and stared
blankly at Karven for a moment before deciding to speak.

“Dragon King, with all due respect, I may not
be as wise as you as I have not walked this world for centuries,
but I am neither deaf nor blind,” said Andrielle, resuming her
walking pace by his side.

“Andrielle, I believe you misunderstand. What
I am trying to bring to your attention is not their feelings
towards each other, but the fact that their love can never truly be
realised."

“What do you mean? If there is something that
I need to know, I need you to share it with me now.”

Karven gestured forward as they now circled
the training grounds. The sounds of armour and weapons colliding in
practice filled the air.

“
Silentium nos redimiat,
” said Karven,
and millions of tiny stars surrounded them, joined by a clear layer
of light. “This is a conversation that should only be heard and
spoken between us, and now only we can hear it.”

“I understand, please, go on,” replied
Andrielle.

Karven continued their walk.

“As you already well know, the greatest of
our weapons is Talonsphere. I am aware that you hold a portion of a
scroll detailing its whereabouts. But do you actually know
what
the weapon is? Do you understand the sacrifices which
are necessary for us to win this war?”

“Of course I don't know what the weapon is,
as I have never laid eyes on it. I only know of the fables, the boy
born of dragon blood. One would think that if the fables were true,
that you would be protecting...” Andrielle stopped as the
realisation sunk in. Her face paled and she asked, wide eyed,
“
Vartan
is the boy born of dragon blood?”

“The elves made the right choice in their
queen. You are wiser than you give yourself credit for. Vartan is
indeed the boy born of dragon blood. Talonsphere is in essence a
machine, and it is enchanted with magic of the ancients. The
machine itself acts as a holding chamber, and deep within it is a
golden dragon’s egg that, once activated, will unleash a hybrid
dragon unlike anything we have ever seen. It will be born and reach
full size and power at a magically accelerated rate, and it will
not stop until the Forces of Darkness are vanquished. We will then
enter a new age of peace. Vartan will need to activate Talonsphere
to unleash the dragon egg within."

“By the gods—and he’s not here under
our
protection? Where is he anyway? And what if he were to
be killed out there before the war is over? Would we not lose our
only chance of activating Talonsphere?” asked Andrielle.

“Vartan is fulfilling the path he has set out
before him, and Nymira accompanies him. There is an important
detail in the prophecy that has been closely guarded by the dragons
and ancients. What you do not know, and need to know the most, will
bring pain to your daughter's heart. To activate the weapon, the
boy born of dragon blood must sacrifice his human life and be born
again immediately within Talonsphere. There is no turning back once
the choice has been made.”

“Helenia will be devastated. First her father
and now the man she loves? There must be another way?” pleaded
Andrielle.

“I’m afraid there is no other way, and the
decision does not rest with me,” replied Karven. “Nothing in this
life is certain, but to the best of my knowledge, this
is
the only way. This is how the weapon was created, and this is the
only way we can be sure to win this war. Without Talonsphere and
the power of the ancients, I’m afraid that Kassina and her army
will eventually overpower us. Humans and elves will be enslaved,
and become food for the vampires and demons that would rule the
world. They call this the prophecy of the Blood Moon, or the Blood
Red Moon. With enough souls turned and available to sacrifice,
Kassina’s Forces of Darkness would be powerful enough to summon
back Shindar, the Demon of Darkness. The skies would be covered in
clouds that rained blood, and the moon would be coloured blood
red.”

“How do you know all of this? How can you be
so sure?” asked Andrielle.

“We know all of this because we almost lost
the world to Shindar and his armies long ago, although we succeeded
through thousands of years of brutal fighting. The ancients, along
with every other living creature, were enslaved by the Forces of
Darkness. Our kind was the final enemy of Shindar and his armies,
and Marithia’s last hope. The war between us raged for centuries,
and losses were substantial. Luckily, Shindar made the fatal
mistake of allowing his ego to get the better of him. I challenged
him to a fight to the death – just the two of us, to decide the
fate of Marithia. It was a fierce battle, and I fought Shindar with
every shred of power that I had. The battle almost killed me, but
just when I thought I had lost, he removed his enchanted armour in
an attempt to mock me. It was in that moment that I summoned my
strength and tore his disgusting head from his shoulders with one
swift sweep of my tail,” answered Karven.

“What happened next?” asked Andrielle.