Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition (3 page)

Chapter 1: Marithia

“If you are fortunate, you
may
sense
when we are near. A chill may slowly ascend like a spider up your
spine to warn of a darker presence nearby.

We are the chosen ones, commanded only by the
great sorceress Kassina. Many have fallen in their quest for her
knowledge and power.

If it is answers or power that you seek, you
must locate her tower and gain her favour.”

(Unknown)

Ever since the day nine hundred years earlier
when Shindar had obtained his child of prophecy, the Forces of
Darkness had rapidly risen in power. Vampires revolted against the
cruel actions of King Grueber, exacting their own bloody vengeance
by hunting down any human they could find. Vampires made a critical
error in their bloodlust by underestimating and attacking the great
elves, who immediately stood their ground and put up a courageous
fight. Veldrenn was fortified against the sudden surge of attacks,
and after a brutal war, the elves were victorious. As it often
does, however, victory came at a grave price: the elves were driven
to the brink of extinction.

Humans and elves put aside their differences,
and to drive back the remainder of the vampires that were picking
off anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths, entered into an
uneasy alliance. Greenhaven was the shining jewel of this newfound
alliance, and within its walls was a promise of security and peace.
It was decreed that all vampires were to be killed on sight. A new
flag was woven, depicting human and elven knights standing guard.
It was proudly flown as a symbol of strength and unity.

Meanwhile, reports of encounters with rogue
shadow demons were whispered among all Marithians. Fear spread
amongst the people, and the Marithian economy suffered greatly as a
result. People frequently disappeared on their travels to
She’Ma’Ryn, the City of Wonders, and knights commonly accompanied
hunters for protection, with gold to line their pockets for their
troubles.

Shindar’s Forces of Darkness were not so
brazen, but instead used stealthy tactics. The new human-elf
alliance proved effective, and the Forces of Darkness were
outnumbered. Unrelenting blades and arrows held back their reign of
terror. Shindar worked Kassina tirelessly to gather the souls
required for the prophecy of the Blood Red Moon. Regardless of all
the souls that she dispatched in Marithia and sent to Shindar’s
grip in the underworld, it was never enough. Greenhaven held the
majority of the human population in Marithia. For the prophecy to
be fulfilled, Greenhaven would have to be successfully infiltrated
from the inside. Segregation and panic were necessary if there was
to be any chance of the great city being taken.

Vampire numbers quickly thinned. As a final,
desperate act, they abased themselves at the gates of Kassina’s
tower, becoming Shindar’s servants. This tower was the heart of the
Forces of Darkness, and was surrounded by dying lands that eroded
the lush earth at a slow but steady pace. The lowlands surrounding
the tower had almost completely dried up, and were plagued by decay
as the life was drained from them.

Greenhaven adopted a policy of zero tolerance
as its walls were filled to capacity by those seeking refuge and
protection. Defiance, thievery or any breaking of the sacred laws
was met with fair but brutal punishment. Entry to Greenhaven was
restricted, and its inhabitants rarely left its protective walls to
allow others to take their place. Order was upheld within
Greenhaven, as both elves and humans focused their strengths on
their common enemy.

She flew gracefully in the limitless blue
sky, each rhythmic beat of her large wings propelling her closer to
her destination. The wind caressed her scales like a mother warmly
cradling her child. It had been a long time since any dragon had
flown this far into Marithia, but she immediately felt at home in
its familiar skies. Nymira was one of the few ancient dragons who
had survived. Over millions of years, dragons had witnessed the
world change around them, and they, in turn, had changed with it.
Many Marithians foolishly believed that dragons had fallen into
extinction. Dragons could only be seen if they allowed themselves
to be. Over countless brutal years in the world, the power of
evolution had granted dragons a precious and invaluable gift: they
developed the ability to adjust their scales to enable them to hide
within the world around them. By this means they successfully
managed to remain hidden from the rest of the world for tens of
thousands of years. At times dragons could be heard or even
felt
, but were often sadly mistaken as only a figment of the
imagination. But although they had largely faded from the memory of
Marithia, they had not become indifferent to its destiny; where
opportunity presented itself, they influenced events in history for
the protection of Marithians.

Nymira took only a brief moment to observe
the changed land of Marithia rolling by beneath her. Dragons were
the most sensitive beings to the effects of magic and the power
emanating from the Elven Woods hummed through her bones. She
equally felt the dark magic plaguing the lowlands from Kassina's
tower as if a storm cloud covered her.

It had been a treacherous journey, but Karven
had sent her personally, and she would never be able to forgive
herself if she let the great dragon king down. He had stressed to
her that today’s events were of immense importance, and she had
almost reached her destination. She returned her attention to her
mission and pressed on.

The city had taken hundreds of years to
complete and was a wondrous sight for her to behold after such a
long absence. Its stone was covered with a solid layer of
shimmering gold that was visible from many great lands and could
have been used as a navigation point for those who attempted to
brave the deadly seas, if the seas had not been a fatal journey for
any who had set sail. Sadly, nobody knew of any sailor that had
ever returned home alive.

This great stronghold was now home to
thousands of women, men and children. They earned their entry with
gold, trade, or through those who held the power to influence.
Some, if they were incredibly lucky, were awarded it for service to
the crown. The city had prospered, and many trade routes were now
well-established. Some called it paradise, most who lived within
its walls simply called it home, but all who walked the lands of
Marithia knew the city as Greenhaven.

Only a soft swell of wind granted any hint of
her presence as Nymira landed as gracefully as a butterfly on its
gleaming walls. She took a brief moment to steady her grip in the
cracks between the stones, folded her great wings, and scaled the
walls to find a window overlooking the great throne room. After
what felt like an eternity of searching, she found one and peered
inside.

The throne room was filled with dusty beams
of vivid yellow light as if it were lit from the heavens. Intricate
furniture and beautifully painted walls provided an air of elegance
to Greenhaven’s royal quarters. Great statues of heroes throughout
the ages were almost brought to life by the many colours of the
stained glass windows. Statues of powerful warlocks, armoured
knights and two dragons were neatly arranged in the corners of the
room. Nymira recognized herself in one of the statues and smiled as
memories of the ancients returned to her for but a moment.

Greenhaven’s royals wore only the most
elaborate clothing available in all the lands, woven by both human
and elven hands and detailed with patterns taken from nature. They
were a stunning combination of rare furs, jewels and the finest of
coloured silks. The king was no exception, dressed today in a jade
coloured garb, but the beauty of his attire did nothing to hide the
expression of anger on his face.

It was not the first time that Vartan had
knelt before his king’s throne, but he feared somehow that this
would not be a pleasant meeting.

“How could you allow this travesty to happen?
She was almost
killed
, Vartan! I trusted you with her life,
and after I granted you care of Helenia,
this
is how you
repay me? Look at her, damn you! I demand an explanation!”

Vartan drew a deep, ragged breath into tired
lungs surrounded by heavily bruised ribs, removed the bloodstained
helm that was partly obscuring his vision and took a brief moment
to observe the room.

King Arman and Queen Andrielle had produced
only two children, Princess Helenia and Prince Derian. The two
differed from each other in every aspect, and had never gotten
along in their childhood. Derian sat comfortably beside the king,
with a sly smirk on his face.

He’s enjoying this too much
, thought
Vartan.

Vartan’s instincts told him that the attack
on the royal guard could only have been so successful if the
assailants had known precisely where Helenia would travel, and the
exact number of knights that would accompany her on her journey.
Derian was one of the few people privileged enough to be entrusted
with such sensitive information, and he hungered bitterly for the
power of the throne.

Andrielle was the Queen of the Elves, and
with her marriage to Arman she had forged a new alliance between
humans and elves that would see the two races joined for eternity.
The king was still young, and the wait to inherit the crown through
his father’s natural death was too long for Derian to bear. The
prince threatened more than the stability of Greenhaven. If the
Elven Queen were ever to be harmed by human hands, it would ignite
bloodshed the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the ancient
war.

Vartan looked to Helenia and was momentarily
lost in her beauty. The princess’s face was kind, her skin pale
from lack of exposure to the sun. Her bright blue eyes looked deep
into his soul, and he managed a smile before quickly looking away.
Princess Helenia could only be wed with the unconditional written
approval of both the king and queen. Suitors from other settlements
would soon be seeking her hand in marriage, looking to forge
alliances and further strengthen Greenhaven.

The love between Vartan and Helenia had
existed in secrecy for many years. He was a mere farm boy turned
knight, whose only tangible riches were those that the crown
treasury allocated him for performing his duties to the throne.
What hope could he ever have of gaining the royal blessing to marry
the princess?

Vartan placed his crown-provided silver helm
down beside his right foot with a loud thud that echoed far down
the corridors of the royal chambers, and began to speak slowly
through his cracked lips. “Your Highness, we barely escaped with
our lives. How could we
possibly
have been ambushed with
such precision and timing? This attack could not have been solely
the work of thieves and vagabonds. They were armed with weapons
forged by skilled hands, and fought with a purpose unlike that of
any thief engaged in battle.”

Be careful, Vartan. I sense true darkness
around us.

The elves held many well-kept secrets;
Helenia’s ability to speak through minds was one of many elven
gifts she had been born with and practiced privately with
Vartan.

Forgive my intrusion, but she speaks the
truth, young knight.

This voice was unknown to Vartan, and it
sounded almost bestial. It held such immense power within it that
Vartan was left momentarily stunned.

There is something you must see, and it is
of great importance. Open your mind to me, and I promise you will
come to no harm.

Vartan focused hard on clearing his mind and
felt a sudden jolt as a connection was made with the dragon
suspended from the outside wall.

With a blinding flash, Vartan found himself
hovering above a place he’d never seen before, a dark room lit only
by soft candlelight. It was as if he was within the walls
themselves, and had become one with the stone. He heard the
soothing sound of water as it gently trickled somewhere beyond the
light, and soft footsteps approaching from afar.