Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) (38 page)

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After tending to their wounds, Raxxil,
Serraemas, Tanaria, Erendil, Samantha, and the old guy made their
way out of the city. As they passed the large, front gate, Raxxil
brought Serraemas aside.

"Let me have a word with her", asserted the
fiery elementalist.

Serraemas nodded. "Very well." He then walked
away to exchange a few words with Erendil.

Raxxil stepped over to where Samantha and her
second-in-command were standing.

"Samantha?" asked Raxxil. She nodded to the
older officer, and he also moved away to give them privacy.

Both of them stood for a moment in silence
without exchanging words. The air was cool in the twilight hours of
the night. Gentle breezes blew through, and the trees of Farrin
Forrest swayed as their leaves rustled softly. The sound of insects
chirping and buzzing filled the otherwise still air, while the two
looked up into the starry sky.

"In the heat of battle", began Raxxil, breaking
the silence, "I couldn't tell you this, but I was glad that you
showed up. Until then, I had thought you gone. Of course, I was
only surprised for a moment. True warriors don't go down that
easily."

Samantha did not reply. Instead, she continued
looking up at the stars. Raxxil turned to her, and put a hand on
her shoulder. She finally looked at him, her left eye fixed on his
own. She took a deep breath.

"I was still awake when you spoke of saving me",
she said finally.

Raxxil coughed loudly, pretending he didn't hear
her words.

"Who are you?" asked Samantha.

"What are you talking about?" he returned.

"Who are you really?" she pressed. "You care
after the little one as if she were your own, and you speak of
saving the life of someone you just met. A hardy warrior like you
doesn't seem the type, and the other one much less so. If the tales
are true, then you are more than just traveling elementalists. You
are murderers and monsters. Not only that, you have lived far
longer than any human should have."

Raxxil sighed and turned his eyes away. "There
is much you do not understand about us… about Ashkar. Things I
can't tell you now, but things you may discover yourself. Keep
training, and keep getting stronger. One day, we might cross paths
again." He faced Samantha once more, smiled, then turned his back
to her and walked toward Serraemas.

"That's it?" she called after him. "You're just
leaving?"

Raxxil continued walking away without
acknowledging her words.

You wouldn't understand. But… maybe one day
you will.

As Raxxil approached the others, he nodded to
Serraemas. He reached down and picked up Tanaria, putting her over
his shoulders. He then wrapped an arm around both Serraemas and
Erendil, and the four of them headed down Nokle Road.

"So what now?" asked Raxxil eagerly. "We've got
the book. How about some more adventuring in Makka?"

"No", replied Serraemas coldly.

"Let's go to Wildenwinter and wrestle with some
wildebeasts!" continued Raxxil excitedly.

"No", he heard again.

"How about Valley of the Undead?" tried Raxxil.
“We’ve never run into the undead. Let’s smash those lifeless
bastards!”

"No", for the third time.

"Oh come on," lamented Raxxil. "How about that
barbecue place in Yjur?"

Serraemas paused for a moment. "Maybe."

"Alright!" cheered Raxxil in satisfaction. He
looked up into the night sky with a smile on his face. The fiery
elementalist noticed a spot of white light, a light larger than the
spots of bright stars that dotted the sky, zipping across the sky
and into the distance as if it were falling down from the heavens
onto Ashkar. It looked like a shooting star, but Raxxil didn't pay
it much mind. His thoughts were elsewhere, looking forward to some
delicious, spicy barbecue.

Epilogue

34th Dawn of the 5000th Age of Lion

Wu stood by the window of his office, peering
down into the beautiful courtyard. It was a bright day out, the hot
sun shining its rays upon them. White, puffy clouds drifted over an
otherwise clear, blue sky.

The sound of children happily playing filled
Wu's ears. The students were on recess, and playing whatever silly
games they could come up with. He looked down at them, noting their
aloof and innocent demeanor. Disconnected from the world outside
Arcadia. The fighting, the wars, the death.

The price of innocence. Graeme, I remember
when we were both in their shoes.

"Master Wu?" asked the voice of a young
child.

Wu turned around to face the small boy, and
smiled sheepishly. "Ah, Quinn! I have been looking for you." The
elderly man pointed his hand at a chair that was by a book case in
the corner of the room. It levitated, then flew toward his desk and
settled down. Wu then gestured for the open chair that was now in
front of his desk. The boy obliged and took his seat.

Wu did the same with his own chair and looked
up. "Oops.” A stack of tomes were piled so high on his desk, the
two couldn't even see each other. With a flick of his wrist, the
entire stack flew to the right. Books, parchments, and scrolls all
tumbled through the air and onto the ground. "That's much
better."

Quinn looked down at the messy pile, nodded,
then returned his gaze to Wu and waited expectantly.

"How go your studies?" asked Wu
inquisitively.

The boy frowned. "The same... like always."

"I see", replied the Grand Master Magus.

"Why do you keep me here?" asked Quinn. His
brown eyes were resolute, and it seemed that that question had been
on his mind for quite a while. "I'm not an elementalist and I don't
think I ever will be. Where are my parents?"

"Quinn", started Wu, taking extra care to ignore
the boy's second question, "There is much more than being an
elementalist. Not everyone is one, and there are others that do
incredible things regardless." The last part was a lie, for a
non-elementalist could never match one that could wield the
elements. And, both paled in comparison to Wu, no matter who they
were. Still, solace was the matter at hand, not truth.

The boy scratched his head. "But the School of
Eight only teaches elementalists, so that doesn't answer why I'm
still here."

The boy was indeed perceptive, and that fact
brought a smile to Wu's face. "You're right, but that's not
important right now and not why I called you here."

"Then, did I do something wrong?" asked Quinn
with brows furrowed.

"No, no", assured Wu. "I just wanted to speak
with you privately about something. Can you promise me not to talk
to anyone about what I am about to tell you?"

The boy looked confused. He hesitated, then
nodded slowly.

"Absolutely no one", asserted Wu.

"Yes, Master Wu", promised Quinn.

"Wonderful!" the elderly man said excitedly, his
demeanor brightening abruptly. He stood up, walked over to one of
the many shelves lined with books, and reached for one. It was
larger than most tomes, and it was bound by black leather. With the
book in hand, Wu walked over to Quinn and handed it to the boy.

"Another book?!" cried Quinn. "I told you I
can't learn anything here!"

Wu scowled. "You foolish boy, how dare you spout
nonse—"

He caught himself mid-sentence and forced
himself to calm down. The little child was taken aback by the
outburst, diverting his attention down at the tome and away from
Wu.

"I promise you that if you take a look, you
won't be disappointed", assured Wu softly.

Curious, the boy opened the book to a random
page and read aloud the first line he came across. "Vos egnell
bashuun xala?" His face once again looked up at Wu in confusion as
he finished uttering the incomprehensible words.

###

Thank you for reading through this novel! If you
liked it, I would be more than happy if you dropped a review at
your favorite retailer. Also, look out for the next chapter in the
Tales of Ashkar series coming soon!

Best regards,

Kayl A. Karadjian.

About the author

An avid reader and video game enthusiast, Kayl
spends his time reading fantasy, sci fi, and playing a host of RPGs
and multiplayer games. He is also a huge fan of anime/manga. He
lives in Orlando, Florida, and currently works as a personal
trainer while attending university.

Other works by Kayl A Karadjian

Look for the next title of the Tales of Ashkar
series,
Halcyon's Dream: Tales of Ashkar Book Two
coming
soon!

Reach out to Kayl

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here:
https://talesofashkar.wordpress.com/maps/