Road To Shandara (Book One of The Safanarion Order) (25 page)

“Give us the room.” He said quietly and the council chamber quickly emptied save for his heirs, Mactar and Darven, and Gerric the Grand Master of the Elite.

“It appears that Ty’s strike force wasn’t a complete failure after all. And you were there," The High King said to Darven.

“I was your grace. I can confirm that Princess Carlowen was in this unknown realm. The last thing I saw before leaving that realm was the knife that left my hands and buried itself into her chest.”

The High King nodded and shoved his anger at Mactar to the far corner of his mind. What he was offering was to good to refuse. “How is it that Tarimus did not sense the presence of the Alenzar’seth?”

“All roads lead back to Shandara your grace," Mactar said quietly.

“Shandara!” Primus exclaimed, “Are you mad?”

“Take hold of your fear brother," Rordan admonished looking to his father.

“But none can travel to Shandara. The place is cursed. All who go never return. Entire armies have disappeared," Primus responded. Both princes looked to their father. Their eyes demanding an answer, but the High King nodded to Mactar.

“Shandara is the final destination for the heir of Alenzar’seth. To the place of the last Safanarion from whence the Drake was brought into this world and it will hunt all of their line," said Mactar.

“It is no ordinary hunt of an assassin who lays in wait in the shadows to strike. The Drake can see into the heart of men and will first destroy all those he loves driving the soul mad with despair until it devours their essence.” The Elite Grand Master added.

The High King turned his towering form toward Mactar and a look of understanding passed between them. What they needed to face their true enemy was buried in Shandara and the heir was the key.

“I think it’s time we setup another force to go to Shandara. I have a present I want delivered to Reymius’s heir.”

“Father I will lead the force that will go to Shandara," Rordan said without hesitation and the High King nodded with approval.

“Both of you will go, but Rordan will lead with Primus as his second. The force will be made up of Elitesman.” The High King said and then pointedly looked at Mactar.

“Of course your grace, my services are at your disposal.” Mactar replied.

C
HAPTER
23

THE RAVEN

AARON WAS LED through a series of hallways that ran the length of the immense airship proudly named the Raven. The crewman leading him spoke of the layout and how Aaron would be able to find his way around in no time. Windows along the hallways provided ample lighting during the day and Aaron noticed dormant orbs along the walls for the night. The interior of the ship was a mix between metal and wood both polished and ornate. They came to the wheel house and a guard politely opened the door. Captain Morgan was quietly speaking with one of his men when he noticed Aaron and waved him over with a friendly nod of his head.

“My lord," the Captain addressed Aaron formally.

“Please, call me Aaron, ” Aaron replied mildly.

Captain Morgan nodded, “As you wish,” he said with a smirk, “Aaron, shortly after our auspicious take off one of my crew found an extra passenger hiding amongst the cargo.” Captain Morgan continued, gesturing towards the guards at the door who immediately brought in a man with a cloth sack pulled over his head. The guards held him firmly, but didn’t treat their prisoner roughly. Just then Verona entered the wheel house.

“Well what do we have here?” Verona asked with half a smile and a wink.

“We’re about to find out," Aaron replied.

“Indeed, as I was saying," the Captain continued, “Normally we would set down and send the extra passenger away with the local magistrate, but given the urgency of our trip we may have to just throw him over the side.” The Captain barked and the crew laughed hungerly. The man with the cloth sack over his head sagged a little before standing up straight again. “That is of course before he said he was with you.” The Captain raised his hand and the guard drew off the cloth sack.

It took a few moments for Aaron to realize he was staring at ‘the Exalted Royal Highness’ Prince Jopher.

“My lord prince," Aaron said cooly and Jopher flinched. “I didn’t realize you’ve decided to be with us commoners. What do you think Verona?” Aaron asked.

“It is a peculiar development to say the least," Verona began, “It might be easier to adopt the good Captain’s policy for unwanted passengers and toss him over the side.”

“Please!” Jopher cried falling to his knees, his disheveled black hair falling into his face. “I have wronged you sir. My anger got the better of me and I must atone for my offense. Please let me travel with you to repay my debt.”

Of all the things Aaron might have expected to hear this was not among them. “With me?” Aaron asked and Jopher nodded vehemently.

Aaron leaned in closer, “What about every other person your royal arrogance has wronged?”

Jopher sagged to his knees again not meeting Aaron’s gaze and the wheel house grew silent.

“It is not me you must atone to, but to people as a whole. Be a better person Jopher. People were not born to do your bidding despite what you may have been told. The wrong you’ve done is to yourself in believing that you are better then everyone else, because your father happens to be King in some far off land.”

Jopher took a deep breath, “I will. I promise.” Jopher exclaimed with the look of desperation in his eyes.

Aaron regarded the would be prince before his eyes and said, “If you were in my shoes, what would you do with someone like yourself?”

Jopher knelt in silence staring at the floor for a few moments hardly breathing. “Please," he whispered. “I want to be a better man and I believe traveling with you will help me achieve that while I aid you in your journey.”

“Aaron," Verona whispered. “I know that of which you speak, but the arrogance in him is taught from birth. Consider carefully. He may prove to be an asset.”

“More than likely this journey will bring his death.” Aaron replied.

“Perhaps, it’s the journey that builds the man does it not.” Verona said loud enough for Jopher to hear.

Aaron narrowed his gaze studying Jopher when Captain Morgan cleared his throat.

“I might have a suggestion,” the Captain said with a wicked gleam in his eye. “We could alway use some help in the galley. Perhaps a few days peeling potatoes or scrubbing dishes will go a ways in paying his debt and give you time to consider the boy’s offer of aid.”

Anger flashed in Jopher’s eyes, but he quickly banished it when meeting Aaron’s gaze.

Verona laughed out loud, “A fine idea my good Captain.”

Aaron nodded and the guards escorted Jopher from the wheel house.

“I hear the same treatment worked on you my lord," Captain Morgan said to Verona with a broad knowing smile and Aaron couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh my Uncle never tires of the tale. We were all young once weren’t we.” Verona replied.

“Some of us were," said the Captain. “Please now I have a ship to run, but the Prince said you would give me a heading once we were airborne.” Before Aaron could reply the Captain interrupted. “The Prince filled me in on some crucial details and the battle with the Elitesmen convinced me of the rest. Perhaps you would join me in the map room as we plot our heading,” the Captain asked.

“Of course," Aaron replied and followed the Captain out the door.

The map room was a few doors down from the wheel house. The room hosted a desk and a large map that hung along the wall as tall as a man and ran the length of the room. The map of Safanar was surprisingly detailed and it took Aaron a few minutes to locate Rexel which was located almost in the middle. Verona stepped up to the far side and pointed to a darkened spot on the map.

“I believe this is our heading, Captain.” Aaron took a few steps over to where Verona was pointing and saw Shandara marked in an area of the map that was deliberately darkened with the words ‘Land of Shadow’ written across the border.

The Captain raised an eyebrow and looked surprised for a moment, but it passed in an instant. “So it’s true then, you are the heir of Shandara?”

“You make it sound like I’m some sort of king or something. Reymius was my grandfather and after he died it was revealed to me that I am of the house of Alenzar’seth.” Aaron answered.

Captain Morgan looked sharply at Verona, “He doesn’t know?”

“Oh he knows my good Captain.” Verona said with a slight smile, “He just refuses to accept.”

“I’ve told you before Verona, whatever anyone’s plans are, I am no king.” Aaron replied with just a hint of an edge in his voice.

What did his grandfather have in mind for him and the future? Did part of him believe he could run forever? That his mother would never regain her memories? He wished he could talk to his father one last time. Did he know about any of this before marrying his mother?
 

He turned to the map again looking at the extremely long distance they would need to travel to reach Shandara, “I didn’t realize the road would be this long. How long do you think it will take to reach this border?” Aaron asked pointing to the ‘Land of Shadow’ boundary on map.

The Captain pursed his lips in thought for a moment, “A few weeks, maybe less provided we have a good wind and clear skies to sail. As we get closer we will need to travel only by night to avoid the Ryakuls. They are mostly active during the day, but at least we won’t be so visible at night.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow looking from Verona to the Captain, “I didn’t think of that. Does this ship have a means to defend itself from a Ryakul attack?” Aaron asked remembering the last attack he and Verona had stumbled upon and the death of the dragon.

The Captain drew himself up, “The Raven has teeth of its own. I’ll have my first officer show you around so you and your companions will be able to lend a hand should the need arise.”

“Garret told me a little about the crystals used to store energy from the sun. Can this energy be released?” Aaron asked.

“Against the Ryakul you mean.” The Captain said raising an eyebrow in thought, “It might be possible. I would suggest you speak with Hatly, he’s the ship’s engineer and is the real expert. I’ve heard of some captains play at using the crystals as a weapon and blowing themselves up in the process, which is why I’ve never explored the option. Since Shandara is our destination though, I think it might be worth the effort and the risk,” said the Captain.

“I will speak with Hatly and see if there is a way we can experiment safely.” Aaron answered.

“A large crossbow bolt to the chest tends to work the best in my experience, but if you think you can work up something better then give it a go.”

Aaron nodded and left the room with Verona eager to speak with Hatly. He was extremely curious about the crystals they had here. They had different properties than back home. He was no expert in crystals by any means, but he was fairly certain they weren’t used for storing energy from the sun back home. His hands drifted to his swords with his fingers gliding over the crystals inlaid in the pommel. They seemed to absorb energy, which had been extremely useful on occasion, saved his life really. He also suspected they came into play somehow when he wielded the blades to make the bladesong. Beyond the blades being bequeathed to him by his grandfather Reymius they were as much a mystery as everything else to him in Safanar.

Aaron spent the next few hours speaking with Hatly who was an easy going, rollup the sleeves and get the work done sort of man that reminded him of his father. Crystals here in Safanar were a wonder and of a different breed than back home. A combination of different colored crystals, when powered by yellow crystals used to store energy allowed steel to retain its strength but with less weight. However the base yellow crystal must be recharged otherwise the weight of the steel bones of the ship would bring it crashing to the ground. These crystals were found throughout the hull of the ship embedded in the wooden support beams because if they came in contact with metal, the metal would eventually dissolve into a rusty powder. Hatly assured him that there were many safeguards in place to prevent accidents.

Verona was able to fill in some of the blanks for him regarding the crystals. The richest sources being found in Khamearra were controlled by the High King. There were stories of a great fire in the sky and how these special crystals were found in small deposits throughout Safanar. Aaron surmised that this planet experienced a large meteor shower which brought the crystals here. When Aaron explained what he had in mind for repelling the Ryakuls Hatly was interested. The problem with releasing the stored up energy was focusing it in the direction you wanted it to go. If they broke they would explode, which was something they all wanted to avoid even with the smallest of crystals. Aaron jokingly mentioned using a sling shot to hurl the crystals into the mouth of the Ryakuls and Verona’s eyes lit up.

“Not a sling my friend. How about arrows with the shards fastened behind the tips? They won’t be able to fly very far or accurately, but I’d wager we would need to wait for our target to get close to conserve our ammo.” Verona said.

“Thats a good idea, but how will they ignite?” Aaron’s question drew a blank stare from Verona and they both looked to Hatly.

“The crystals we use here on the ship are selected because of their durability. Only fragile crystals run the risk of exploding when they break. But...” Hatly paused considering and then reached over to his workbench uncovering a wooden crate. He withdrew a dark crystal from the bunch and set it down. “This is a spent crystal. All the stored energy has been used up. Perhaps we can break it into the pieces we need and make them a bit more fragile. Then we could allow them to store power in the charging chamber, but we’ll need to monitor the time otherwise they will overload.” Hatly went on muttering to himself seeming to forget that they were still in the room. After a few moments, Verona nodded toward the door and they both quietly left Hatly to his work. They met Braden in the hall who was coming to collect them for dinner.