Curse of The Seventh Sword: The Gauntlet of Feona (3 page)

“Judging by your skill, you are not one of the glorified guards tha
t patrol Gor’s streets either are you?  Let me guess.  Death Class?”

The soldier flicked his sword back around to his front, parrying Ovar’s
sword and breaking his stance in the process.  He whirled around and attempted a low swooping attack at Ovar’s feet.  Ovar jumped over the attack and launched into his.  The soldier blocked and they both went into a series of attacks and counters, both evenly matched for the duration of their duel.  Ovar glided very quickly to the right of his opponent, and swung his sword at the soldier’s neck.  The death class soldier bent low under the attack and launched into a side slash aimed at Ovar’s mid section.  Ovar blocked in turn with the steel gauntlet on his left arm and then connected with a left punch to the fore head of the soldier.  The soldier staggered back and Ovar moved in, attacking the soldier repeatedly.  The soldier parried most of Ovar’s attacks until a low swipe, which delivered an immobilizing blow to his left thigh area, struck him.  The soldier dropped to his knees.  Ovar placed the tip of his sword under the soldier’s jaw line and slowly raised it, forcing the soldier to lift up his face. 

“Tell me why you came here.”

“Haven’t you heard?  The princess is dead.”

“Then you should be investigating that, not
attempting to kill innocent people.”

“Innocent?  That man? You both were out after curfew hours and he was chasing after the princess’s friend, whom I have been commanded to bring in.  Now
you however, you interest me greatly.”

“Really?  And why is that?”

“Your skill with the blade is enough to best me and you are knowledgeable in the class of Angweleth soldiers.  It leads me to wonder who you are.  However, time must have eroded your memory.  You forget one thing.”

“And what is that?”

The soldier smiled menacingly.  “Death class soldiers always work in pairs… but… this time, we are three.”

Terror seized Ovar as the realization set in. 
Davydd! 
Ovar made to run but felt a searing pain burn through his lower back.  He reached behind him and felt the wooden stem of the arrow that had embedded itself in his lower right back.  He fell to his knees.  His opponent forced himself back up to his feet.

“We aren’t done with you yet.”  He struck Ovar
viciously across the face with the handle of his sword.  Ovar fell to the floor unconscious.  A figure emerged behind the trees and walked over to the unconscious body of Ovar.  He wore a similar uniform to that of his compatriot.  They were dressed in black steel plated armor with underlying chainmail protecting vital and exposed areas.  They also had a black cape that fell down over their shoulders and covered their backs.  On it was the insignia of Angweleth, a shield designed with a tiger holding a sword by the blade in its mouth.  Their left shoulder armor plate was adorned with five skull shaped medals lined side by side.  It showed their military class, which was ranked by skill as well as authority.  The wounded soldier who had fought Ovar spoke first.

“
Jaynea and the boy ran off that way.”  He pointed in the direction were Davydd had gone. 

“I cannot give chase with this wound.  So
you aid Brutus in pursuing them.  I will take this one back to the Gor outpost for questioning.  Also Farok, try and bring her in alive if you can, but kill her if you have to.  I don’t care much for the boy, so kill him.  Besides, there’s no telling what Jaynea might have told him.  We don’t want any loose ends.  Now go.”

“At once.”  Farok moved swiftly in the direction the apparent leader of the team had pointed.

Davydd ran after Vannera.  He had gained on her again.  Even though it felt like they had both been running a long time, she showed no
signs of slowing down. 
Where does she get the energy? 
He finally caught up to her and as he reached out for her they both tripped and fell.  Davydd held her tightly as she tried to wriggle free.

“Let me go!” She yelped.

“Calm down!  Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused?”

“There wouldn’t be any trouble if you had just let me be!”

“Let you be?  So you can die here?  Have you not noticed that there are high class Angwelethean soldiers after you?”

“Yes! I know!”

“Why then?”

“I can’t tell you…” 
Vannera looked away her eyes watering.

Davydd heaved a sigh of exasperation.

“Vannera.  My worried father is locked in a fight to the death with a soldier who just tried to kill me.  This is your last chance to let me help you and if you refuse… I am going to leave and go help my father.  It was on his orders that I went after you… that I am here right now instead of by his side.”

Vannera sighed.

“Alright.  Let’s go help your father and then… Davydd behind you!”

Davydd
heard the whooshing sound of metal as it sliced through the air.  He dived to the ground, grabbing Vannera with him as the sword swung past where his neck had been.  On the ground, Davydd frantically searched for something he could use as a weapon.  He found it in a hard branch lying just within his grasp.  Davydd grabbed it and rolled on his back just in time to block a fatal blow from the sword.

“Stay back
Vannera!”  Davydd screamed as he warded off another blow.  He thrust forward with the tree branch but the soldier easily evaded his attack.  The soldier was moving so quickly; Davydd was having a hard time keeping up.  He instinctively blocked a few more hits but was unable to avoid an unexpected kick to his mid section.  Davydd felt the wind knocked out of him as he fell to the ground.  He coughed and gasped for air as he crawled away from the soldier, who was now stalking him slowly.  In that moment, he realized where in the forest he was and all of a sudden he had a sliver of hope to hold on to.  With renewed energy, he struggled to his feet and ran in Vannera’s direction.  Before she could react, he grabbed her hand and they both took off.  The soldier gave pursuit.

“What are you doing?”

“Just do as I say, when I say, for both our sakes.  Understand?”

“Y…Yes.”

Davydd led Vannera through the thick vegetation, weaving in and out of branches and trees.  The soldier remained hot on their trails.  They were approaching a clearing were a small pond had formed. 

“
Right before we get to the clearing in front of us, we are going to jump alright?”

“Okay.”

They drew nearer and nearer towards the clearing with the soldier gaining on them.  Vannera glanced back. 

“He’s close.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Jump now. Jump as high and far as you can.”

Davydd and Vannera jumped
right as they were about to enter the clearing, falling into the pond as they did.  The soldier approached the clearing and kept running.  By the time he realized what had happened, it was too late.  The ground beneath him caved in under his weight and he plummeted downwards into a hole filled with sharp wooden stakes.  Davydd and Vannera heard a mortal scream of pain, followed by guttural sounds and then silence.

“What happened?
”  A perplexed Vannera asked.  Davydd stood up and reached out to help Vannera out of the pond. 

“I’m a hunter.  I la
y traps for animals.  I guess they are also good for something else.  We need to go back for my father now.”

Davydd turned around and received a blow to his nose from the hilt of a sword.  He fell back into the pond, with blood rushing from his nose. 

“Davydd!”  Screamed Vannera. 

Davydd emerged from under the water and stumbled as he tried to regain his composure. 

“I see you managed to kill Brutus.” The soldier said.

“You are very intelligent.  It’s too bad that a promising life ends here and now.”  The soldier unsheathed his sword and made his way towards Davydd.

Vannera ran over to Davydd’s side as he staggered backwards.

“Leave him alone!” She yelped.

“Don’t do this
Jaynea.  I don’t have to kill you, but I will if it be necessary.”

As the soldier made his way towards
Davydd and Vannera, there seemed to be a distortion in the space between them.  The soldier stepped back in surprise.  Something seemed to be pushing him away from them and pulling them into itself.  The force sent both Davydd and Vannera’s heads spinning. Soon they felt a floating sensation and then a falling sensation.  Davydd rolled around trying to focus his vision.  His nose throbbed and he felt like he had just been struck multiple times in the head.

“You should be glad I found you in time
Jaynea.”  Davydd and Vannera looked up to see a man dressed in a green tunic, black pants and a pair of dark green boots to match.  He wore green gloves and had a green hat on.  Underneath his hat fell natural black twists of hair.  He had a thin beard layer above his dark skin and kind brown eyes.  He took of his hat and nodded politely.

“You definitely gave us a scare.”  He said smiling.

Davydd looked lost and confused.  “Why is everyone calling you Jaynea?”  He asked as he turned to look at Vannera? “And where are we?”  He turned to look back at the stranger who had saved their lives.

“Who are you?”

The man in the green uniform laughed. 

“He’s full of questions isn’t he?” He said amidst chuckles as he looked at
Vannera.  Vannera did not return the humor.  The man stopped laughing and took of his hat again.  He nodded.

“The name’s
Maxweil, but you can just call me Max.”

Vannera spoke up for
the first time.

“
Max… you knew Jaynea… didn’t you?”

Max looked at her quizzically. 

“Are you okay?  It seems like you asked me if I knew you.  I know you’ve been through a lot but…”

“I’m not
Jaynea, Max.”  Vannera interjected. 

“What do you mean?”

“Jaynea died two days ago… she was protecting me.”

The expression on
Max’s face was one of pain.  He punched the soil in frustration as the news sank in.  Then as if to regain control over his emotions, he took a deep breath. 

“So I take it then you are
Princess Vannera?”  Max finally asked.

“Princess
Vannera?”  Davydd asked looking stunned.  “But she looks nothing like the princess.  What’s happening?”

“Who is he?” 
Max asked.

“He saved my life. 
Max if you knew Jaynea then would it be safe to assume you would know of a Matilom?  Jaynea said I should find him and it is of the utmost importance that I speak to him.”

Davydd put his head in his hands.  He rose to his feet. 

“I’m going back for my father.”

“Was he fighting
one of those soldiers?”  Max asked.

“Yes.  Why?” 

Max sighed.

“He’s probably dead by now.”

“I don’t believe you.”  Davydd turned to Vannera.  “I hope you are happy you have found what you are looking for.  But just remember that the life of Ovar Tardust might be forfeit because of you.”  Davydd began to walk away just as a hand grabbed him by the shoulder.  Davydd turned around to see that it was Max.

“Did you say Ovar?”

“Yes… and he needs my help.”

Max shook his head. 

“Not yet.  You both need to come with me.”

“I’m not goi
ng anywhere with you.”  Davydd replied.

“Look… I want to help your father as much as you do… but we can’t just g
o after him blindly, especially if he was taken by a death class soldier.”

“Death Class?”

Max shook his head. 

“You have a lot that you need to
know Davydd.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Save your questions for Matilom.”

The space around them warped once again.

             
Another blow landed on Ovar’s left cheek, jerking his face violently to the right.  Ovar wheezed and coughed out more blood from his mouth.  His face was swollen and bruised.  He was also bleeding from a cut above his right temple. 

“
May I ask why you choose to suffer?”  The soldier he had fought leaned towards Ovar.

“You could save yourself all
this pain by just telling me what I need to know.” 

Ovar laughed and rolled his head tiredly. 

“Say… I forgot. What was it you needed to know?”

“Who is the boy?”  The soldier inserted a sharp spike into the tip of Ovar’s left index finger.  Ovar shook in pai
n as the metal punctured his skin and drove in.

“There is one spike for every finger and toe you have.  You can save yourself the trouble.  Who is the boy?”

“I…already told you, he is my son.  He is a hunter and that’s all there is to it.”

“Why is a hunter
out in the forest with the princess’s closest friend and only survivor of a massacre?  Why is he out there after curfew?”

“
He is out there because he went to hunt for game before the massacre.  He never knew anything about it.  He’s been out there for three days.  He probably ran into the wreckage and saved her.  I went to find him… to bring him home.”

The soldier raised his chin boss and pursed his lips.

“So all of this is coincidence then?” 

Ovar nodded.  “Or
it could be a misunderstanding.”

“You attack
ed me.”

“You
… tried to kill my son.”

“You bested me… your son managed to kill one of my men and the other claims he and
Jaynea vanished in mid air.  Could you perhaps explain that?”

“Well…”Ovar chuckled.  “I guess
we were just better than you two th…”

He
was cut short with a brutal blow to his mid section.

“Any more jokes?”

Ovar did not respond.  His head hung low and still.  The soldier examined him for a few seconds then spoke to a younger man and woman who had been standing by the entrance of the room.

“He’s unconscious… yet again.  Take him, treat his wounds and feed him.  I will send for him
again when he has recovered a bit.

Davydd woke up with a terrible headache.  He squeezed his eyes shut as the throbbing pain seared from one temple of his head to the other.  Davydd put up his left hand and touched his nose and quickly withdrew it.  The pain was still sharp, though it had been treated.  He sat up and took in his surroundings.  He was in a room with no windows, but for some reason had several holes in the ceiling.  He lay on a wooden bed with a soft plush mattress and pillow.  To his right was a small bedside cupboard and on the far right wall was a big bookshelf filled to capacity with various books.  The walls were wooden and concave in shape.  The bookshelf was shaped into a concave as well to fit perfectly on the side of the wall.  Daylight filtered in through the strange holes in the ceiling in small thin rays.  But the rest of the room was dim.  Davydd swung his feet off the bed and got up.  It was then he noticed the door opposite his bed and made his way to it.  He opened it and stepped into a hallway with a door on either side of his.  There was only one door on the opposite wall of the hallway, which he noticed wrapped around on each end.  The small holes in the ceiling were present and as usual they let in a small ray of sunlight.  Davydd opened the lone door opposite him and walked into what he deemed to be the living room.  There were two long seats and three couches in the room.  To the left was a section that had been made out to be the dining area.  It had a decent sized oval shaped table with 8 chairs around it.  On the table sat a bowl of ripe, succulent fruit and a jug of water to its side.  His stomach groaned and he remembered he hadn’t eaten much the past three days.  He went over to the fruit bowl, grabbed some apples and devoured them in no time.  He sucked off the fruit juice that had spilled on his fingers and then made for the jug of water, which he downed to about half way empty. 

“I see you are making yourself at home.”

Davydd whirled around and saw that it was Vannera.  She had come in from a different door in the living room, no doubt from another room in the hallway that wrapped around.  She wore a white dress that stopped just above her knees and exposed a fair amount of her cleavage.  A blue scarf was wrapped around her shoulders.  Davydd caught himself staring and then looked away.

“Hmm
m, you are a hunter, a rescuer and a gentleman.”  Vannera sat down on one of the couches.

“Do you know where we are?”

The princess shook her head.  “No.  I woke up and found myself in a very strange room.  I had a horrible headache as well.”

It was at that moment that
Davydd noticed his headache had subsided, though his nose was still hurting as bad as it did when he woke up.  A door behind the oval table Davydd had been eating from opened and the man they knew as Max, walked in.  He turned towards them and flashed a friendly smile. 

“You are both up. 
Thank goodness.  I was beginning to feel bad.”

“Why is that?” 
Vannera asked.

“Well… portal travel takes
some getting used to and I subjected the both of you to two of them within a short period of time.  You both were unconscious by the time we got here.”

“And where is here?” 
Davydd asked impatiently.

Max
shifted his gaze to him and then back to Vannera. 

“I understand you both have questions that demand answers.  And you shall have them.  You, my lady have been searching for Matilom.  I present him to y
ou both.”

An old man walked into
the room through the door Max had just entered from.  He wore grey overalls and a black cloak.  He had long unkempt hair and a thick long beard.  Despite his aged appearance, he walked with a surprising amount of strength and little labor.  Matilom took his seat on the third couch facing where Davydd sat.  Vannera was seated adjacent to the two men.  Max jumped on one of the long seats and sprawled across it lazily. 

“Excuse
Max.”  Said Matilom chuckling.  “He is a free spirited one.” 

He shifted his gaze to
Vannera, then to Davydd and then back at Vannera.

“Alright.”  Matilom sat up and leaned forward.  “Tell me everything you know.  Start from the beginning.”  He turned and looked at
Davydd once more.  “And if you don’t mind young one… listen very carefully.”

Davydd
sighed.  “I honestly don’t know why I am here.  I think you should let me go.  My father could be dead.”

“You’ll know why you are here soon enough my child.  Speak
Vannera.  You came all this way because you have something to tell me.”

Vannera
took a deep breath and begun.

“When my father succeeded the last king
Rikard Miljorn after his death, he was a good king.  He wanted nothing but the best for all of Angweleth, and I grew up knowing I was in a loving and happy home… until my mother died when I was eight.  Then my father changed.  He became ruthless and unkind to his people.  He began to embark on unnecessary war campaigns to expand the kingdom.  He stopped taking the advice of his council and made his decisions without much thought as to how it affected his kingdom, his people or their views of him.”  Vannera took another deep breath and interlocked her fingers nervously.

“He grew di
stant from me as I grew older.  But by then I was no longer waiting for his approval, his acceptance or his love.  I had a good friend who stood by my side even in my loneliest hours in that castle.”

“
Jaynea…” Max said, sitting up.

“Yes…  She became my closest friend.  In that time I grew more
resentful of my father and sought to bring about whatever respite I could to my people.  I began making yearly voyages to every town of Angweleth that I could visit, since I was sixteen.  Jaynea followed me on every one of those trips and my father was not particularly happy that I was spreading ‘his’ wealth across the kingdom.  In that time I also noticed strange actions from my father.  He would disappear for long periods of time and then return without speaking a word.  Soon it was as if he was not even there.  I noticed that during his time of absence he always went to the north wing of the castle.  I decided to follow him one day, and I observed him open two huge double doors and walk through them.  They always closed behind him, but I was able to see figures seated around a table, waiting for him.  I was never able to make out their faces as they always covered their features in hoods.  I gave into my curiosity and sought to find a way into that room.  After a year, I discovered a secret passage that led from the palace gardens to the same room where my father convened in with those
beings
.”

“Beings?” 
Davydd asked.

“Yes… beings.  I thought them to be the members of the council at first but last week, when I snuck into that room
to listen in on their meeting, I was pretty sure they weren’t…”

Matilom rested back on his seat
.  “Someone knew you were there.  What did you learn that made your life forfeit?”

Vannera
looked at everyone in the room and then cleared her throat.

“They mos
tly talked about my father’s progress in helping build an army that could take on the might of the other six kingdoms.  It felt as though he had no choice.  They threatened to destroy Angweleth unless he helped them take over…our world.  But apparently the destruction of some artifact is key to their plans.”

“Artifact?” 
Davydd looked perplexed.  “What artifact and who are these beings?”

“I don’t know who these beings are… I can tell you they are not human.  Their voices seemed to contain a power that envel
opes one in evil.  It was all I could do not to tremble so much that they would hear me.  My father might not be the best of men, but he fears very little and even he seemed to cower in their presence.” 

Vannera
looked at Davydd.  “The artifact is called…”

“
…The gauntlet of Feona.”  Matilom interjected.

“How do you know this?” 
Vannera asked.

Matilom got up and paced around for a bit.

“Jaynea’s task was to sneak into your Father’s castle as your friend and find the location of the gauntlet.  Once she found out the location, she was to escape the castle and report it to me.  Only then could we begin our mission.  However, it seems she let her feelings get in the way.”

Matilom turned and looked at
Vannera.

“She sacrificed herself to protect you.  Sh
e must have seen something special in you to be drawn to you so.”

Vannera
blushed and pushed her hair behind her ears. 

“Well… we were… very close.”

“Indeed you were.  Even till her untimely death.  But as close as you were I’m sure you must be tired running around Angweleth not looking like yourself.”

Davydd
burst out laughing.  “I see.  I think I know what’s going on now.  I was wondering why you were claiming to be the princess Vannera when you looked nothing like her.  Then again, I always thought there was something slightly off with the way you looked when I first saved your life.  So it is safe to say, the figure and face I gaze upon is that of Jaynea’s.”

Vannera
nodded her head in agreement.

“Now you know where Va
Jaynea came from.”  She said with a wry smile.

“I do.”
Davydd replied while returning the smile. 

“Still, t
hat must have been some powerful spell to have lasted this long.”

“
It is very powerful indeed.” Matilom concurred. 

“For it is one
that would require strong physical contact between the two to have lasted this long.”

“Physical contact?”

“Such as a kiss for example.”

Davydd
turned and looked at Vannera in shock.  Vannera shrugged and looked away blushing.

“I was
… am young… and curious.”  She finally said.

“
Now then.”  Matilom said, stepping in front of her.  “It is time to make you,
you
again.” 

Matilom began chanting
an incantation as he stretched his arms over her.  Midway through the incantation, Vannera closed her eyes and grimaced as like dirt is blown of a dusty table by the wind, Jaynea’s image was blown off of hers.  As Matilom finished the incantation, Vannera’s true image was revealed.  She was stunningly beautiful.  Her green eyes seemed to accentuate her red hair as it fell across her face, behind her neck and shoulders.  Her lips, half parted, were a mid tone between red and pink and they were lush and full.  Her skin seemed to have a glow of its own.  Davydd caught himself staring and though he tried, he couldn’t look away.  Vannera caught his gaze, smiled and then looked away shyly.  Max, who had been sitting up, sprawled back on the long seat and whistled.