The Callindra Chronicles Book One - First Quest (18 page)

“
You’re here very early my
dear. Why don’t you sit and have a cup of tea with me. You can tell
me of your travels and then we can talk business.” He gestured to a
pair of chairs outside the shop door with a steaming cup of
tea.

“
Thanks.” She said, sitting
across the door from him. “I’m not sure how much time I’ll actually
have to chat though. I need to stretch and practice before my party
awakens. I’m afraid we will be leaving today.”

“
Tell me about this friend
of yours at least then.” He said, blowing on his tea to cool it,
“It’s not just anyone who smokes Carilan Imperalus you
know.”

“
He saved my life.” She
sipped her tea and found it to be harsh and bitter, “I guess I
don’t know much about him really. As sad as it seems, we lived
together for years and I never took the time to ask about his life.
I always thought there would be more time. I won’t make that
mistake again.”

Fredrick gave her a quizzical look over the
rim of his teacup. “That particular blend is one favored by the
Keld’Ima.” When she didn’t react he added, “The King’s personal
bodyguards.”

Callindra laughed, a breeze swirling around
her and playfully tickling the back of her neck, “I’m pretty sure
he wasn’t a bodyguard. He lacks any real desire to take orders I
think. Besides you don’t seem the type either but I certainly
smelled it coming out of your pipe yesterday evening.”

“
True enough.” He said with
a grin, “I acquired a taste for the Imperalus blends years ago.
Strong yet subtle, just the right balance of aroma and body. I
don’t know what the curing process is but it takes time and skill.
Your friend, whoever he is, has good taste.”

He rose and walked into the shop, refilling
his teacup then making his way behind a counter to a wall set with
a myriad of small doors from floor to ceiling. He opened one and
slid a drawer out, selecting a sealed leather pouch before closing
it firmly again.

“
Here you are, twenty silver
for a packet of memories.”

Callindra balked slightly, her room for the
night had only cost half that. “Gods, I’ll need a pipe and flint as
well at that price.”

“
Consider it done.” He took
a long, narrow box from beneath the counter and took a slender pipe
with a long stem from it. She could see delicate carvings of
flowering vines all down the stem and around the bowl. “This should
fit your character quite nicely.”

She was about to protest until she saw the
vines were climbing roses with thorns clearly defined. “I suppose
it does at that. The next time I’m in town I will take the time to
sit and share some stories of the road.”

Fredrick smiled and gave her a small bow from
the waist, “I look forward to it Callindra.”

Chapter 16

The City of Arkasia was much larger than
Callindra thought possible. The wall was visible from miles away
and there were quite a few carriages and wagons on the road as well
as other horses and a multitude of foot traffic. In spite of all
the travelers the traffic barely slowed at the gate. A system of
checking wagons and processing visitors allowed efficient entry
without impeding the majority of them.

It only took a few minutes to give names,
origin, destination and duration of stay. Tryst handled the
majority of the questions and all the others had to give were their
names. Inside the gate was a scene of chaos, throngs of people
selling everything hungry, thirsty, tired travelers might want,
sedan chairs being carried by well-muscled footmen, men and women
in livery hurrying about on some errand or another for their
House.

The noise was deafening and had it not been
for Tryst’s sure knowledge of his destination and single-minded
determination to reach it they would surely have been swept into
the crowd and separated. After the initial crush, the people
thinned out and they were able to re-mount their horses. They wound
their way through the streets at a trot and arrived at a towering
cathedral built from huge basalt blocks.

There was a large courtyard but no gate or
fence. Tryst handed the reins of his horse to a waiting stable boy
and walked straight through the open front door. “Tryst Te’Chern to
see Biscop Mida.” He said to the first acolyte he came upon. The
unfortunate boy stared at the mountain of chainmaile and gaped in
open-mouthed awe.

“
Te’Chern? THE
Te’Chern?”

“
The Biscop is engaged in a
meeting with his advisors at the moment.” A man with greying hair,
“You may wait for him in the antechamber.” He wore a simple robe
but Tryst bowed in deference.

“
As you wish Sir. Do not
trouble yourself, I know the way.”

He led them down a long hallway and through a
plain wooden door. A simple oak table had bread, fruit, salted pork
and wine laid out for them to eat.

“
THE Te’Chern?” Cronos
asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

“
I may have made a bit of a
name for myself in the academy.” He replied with a hint of chagrin,
“Think nothing of it.”

Callindra sat at the table and poured herself
a cup of wine. It was cool and soothing on the back of her throat.
She loosened the straps on her armor and leaned back in her chair,
looking around the room with idle curiosity.

In spite of the size of the cathedral, this
room wasn’t all that much larger than the ones she had seen in the
much smaller church in Thornehold. The windows were tall, narrow
slits with steel shutters that could be closed against weather or
attack but still left ample room for an archer to fire from. What
reason could anyone have to build such a defensible structure in
the middle of a large city?

“
This was one of the first
buildings to be completed when this area was first settled.” Tryst
said, noticing her taking account of the militant construction of
the room. “We are also an Order that strives to uphold justice and
peace, defending the weak and protecting the defenseless so much of
our training revolves around combat. The austere aspect of the
building quickly winnows out those looking for a life of ease among
the Priesthood.”

“
Well-spoken young
Te’Chern.” A deep voice spoke from the hallway as a short, thick
man entered. He was barrel-chested and his arms were the size of
Callindra’s waist. His robes were the same rough woven wool that
every other priest she had seen wore; however he wore a richly
embroidered alb around his shoulders.

Tryst started, then turned and dropped to one
knee. “Lord Biscop, may I please have your blessing?”

The Biscop placed one hand on Tryst’s head
and the other on the rim of his shield, “An arm to defend. A mind
to discern. We offer Sanctuary of body and soul in a world of
chaos. May your arm be swift and your mind strong.”

He turned to the rest of them with a
quizzical look on his face, “So these warriors have agreed to join
you and complete the task I have set you to?”

“
We agreed to hear you out
anyway.” Cronos said, looking up from where he slumped at the
table. “Nobody’s said more than that yet.”

“
The news I share with you
is grave indeed.” He turned to face Cronos, “We began feeling a
disturbance some time ago. The Gods were restless, which is never a
good thing and after a time we became aware that the followers of
Gode had ceased to have their prayers answered by their
God.”

“
What?” Tryst sprang to his
feet from where he had been kneeling, “How is that possible? If the
God of Creation is no more, then Onde can destroy
everything!”

“
Calm yourself child, if
Gode was indeed gone we would cease to be. This is not a problem
that will end all of creation; it is merely a problem that faces us
here in this realm.” He paused and shook his head gravely,
“Although the further a stone begins rolling downhill the more
difficult it is to stop. Tryst, you and your companions must find
the remnants of the Lost Order. Only they have the knowledge needed
to re-establish contact with Gode.”

“
Sounds interesting. What’s
in it for me though?” Asked Vilhylm.

“
Your needs will be provided
for along with suitable reward upon completion of your task.” The
Biscop said, “We offer each of you the sum of one thousand pieces
of gold for returning with the information we need.”

Callindra gaped in disbelief, she could buy a
farm or a business, she could live comfortably for years. More
importantly she could finance her journey to find Glarian easily
with that kind of money. “Done.” She said as soon as she recovered
her composure.

After a few moments the others also voiced
their assent.

“
Excellent.” The Biscop
said, “Now you will need to keep the horses lent from our Brothers
in the south, we can ensure you have rations for the trail and coin
for re-supplying. Do any of you require armor or
armaments?”

“
I could use some greaves to
complete my leather.” Callindra said, “But Brightfang is all the
weapon I need.”

“
You don’t have anything I
could use.” Vilhylm said, “Thank you for offering
though.”

“
A brace of daggers wouldn’t
hurt.” Cronos said, “I wouldn’t mind a chain shirt too if you can
spare it.”

“
I will have someone show
you to your rooms then and make sure that your requests are
fulfilled before you leave in the morning.” The Biscop clapped his
hands and a pair of figures wearing identical gray robes with the
hoods pulled over their faces entered, beckoning them to follow.
“Tryst will be along shortly, he and I have some Church business to
attend to.”

Callindra followed the robed figures to a
room that could have been the exact same one she had slept in while
in Thornehold other than the window looked out on a practice yard
instead of a busy street. Dozens of figures drilled with hammers
and shields under the watchful eyes of several armored men.

There was a pitcher of chilled white wine and
a plate of bread on the table in the common room and two separate
sleeping quarters. Feeling tired from her long time on the road,
Callindra found a bath, then a bed.

-

The next morning, Callindra awoke later than
she had intended. She shuffled out of her room into the common room
between her and the boys room in her underthings, feeling a little
disoriented. Looking out the window, she saw that the courtyard
below was empty of the practicing figures she had seen the day
before.

Pulling on rumpled breeches and wrapping her
chest tightly, she looked blearily around the room. She found a
plate of fruit and ate an apple, core and all while staring down at
the practice yard.

“
Damn, I didn’t ask how to
get there last night.” She muttered, helping herself to a glass of
water from the pitcher on the table. “Well nothing for it but to
jump.” She grinned, slung her sword belt over her back and leaped
out of the window, the winds whipping around her body as she
fell.

She landed in the courtyard lightly, whipping
Brightfang from his sheath with a flourish. “Awesome, there are
even practice dummies!”

“
Indeed. What is your name
girl?” A low voice sounded behind her.

She spun to face the man, moving her sword
into a guard Stance.

“
Easy, you are the one
intruding upon my practice grounds.” She had seen this man the day
before, striding through the drilling acolytes with a severe look
on his face. He was the only one who hadn’t been wearing armor, his
only protection was a massive shield strapped to his back. The top
was almost a foot above his head and the bottom nearly dragged on
the ground.

“
My apologies sir.” She
sheathed her sword with practiced ease. “I meant no offense, I was
merely looking for a place to work my morning Korumn.”

His eyebrows rose briefly, then his eyes
narrowed slightly. “Show me then.”

Unsure what to make of his scrutiny, she
walked to the middle of the courtyard and sat with Brightfang
across her knees. Her morning meditation came easily here in spite
of the breezes that tickled her neck and played with the ragged
ends of her hair.

When the First Korumn was finished, she rose
and began moving through the Stances, eyes almost closed, feeling
the passage of the air over her body. Brightfang’s tip whistled
through the air, as she moved, and she almost missed the slight
sound to her right. She jerked him to a stop just before his razor
sharp edge cut into her observer’s scalp.

“
What are you doing, moving
into the line of a practicing sword fighter? Are you mad?” She
could feel the energy that she had built in the first half of her
practice quivering within her sword.

“
Just testing to see if you
had any control.” He snorted, “You wouldn’t have had the chance to
cut me.” She looked above him to see the bulk of his
shield.

“
There’s no way you could
move that monster fast enough to stop me. It’s on your back!” She
said, “You took a serious risk you know, I’m still just an
apprentice.”

“
Just because it’s on my
back doesn’t mean it’s not still protecting me.” He shifted his
weight forward and the shield slipped slightly to cover most of his
head. With a practiced motion he swung it off his back to land
between them with a resounding thud.

“
Those moves look pretty
polished, but I know from experience that polish isn’t always a
good thing. Makes you predictable, which is something you can’t
afford to be in a real battle.”