Esra (24 page)

       “What do ye think?” She asked, twirling around.  “They certainly make my legs feel free.”

       She had never thought about how cumbersome it was to have all of that cloth around her legs, how inhibiting.  Then again, although Nadia was sometimes hard to see, she did usually wear trousers instead of skirts.  Maybe with all the other strange things that had happened, it just never occurred to Esra that a lady wearing pants was one of them.  Going out into the round corridor, she opened the front door and did a hitch kick to one side.

       “I saw that,” Fynn said, chuckling.

       “These feel great,” Esra admitted. “Too bad I didn’t know trousers were so comfortable back when I was running around in the forest and trying to do my chores.”

       “Skirts were probably good fer holding things, though.  Ye can make yer own little basket fer gathering.”

       “Aye,” she agreed.  “So I remember a little bit of what Nadia told me about the dwellings, but not much.”

       “Well, there are over two hundred houses in the Stronghold, all with five rooms.  So there are about five hundred people who live here on a permanent basis and another couple hundred who come an’ go,” Fynn motioned for her to follow him back towards the Dining Hall.  “There are many Keepers who have chosen te live in other areas of LeVara or who are on long term assignments like Baelin was.  So we estimate that all of the Keepers make up over a thousand people.  Not bad, eh?”

       “I never dreamed there were so many.  It doesn’t seem like there are that many houses, either,” Esra marveled. “All of these Keepers with all their different Gifts and yet Tallen still poses a threat?”

       “Well, as far as the houses go, they were intended that way,” he explained. “We did not want te take over the Jade Gardens, we wanted te live with it.  So it is a little deceptive.  Every care was taken te blend in with our surroundings, not conquer them.  As fer Tallen, his army of Elites is in the tens of thousands and growing.  And although we still maintain certain advantages, capturing Kiran Brae will enable him te gain valuable supplies and force people te work or fight fer him.”

       “How can we expect to win against such evil?”  Esra asked sadly.

       “Well, hopefully the War Council will help with that.  If we can get the other three races te help, we may actually stand a chance,” Fynn said encouragingly as they approached the Earth colored structure to the right of the main hall.  “We’ll go into this one first.”

       Pushing the heavy wooden entry doors open, they arrived in a chamber not unlike that of the Dining Hall.  There was a large granite fireplace immediately across the round foyer, but the colors of the room were yellows, oranges, and reds instead of the greens, greys and whites of the Dining Hall. 

       “This is referred te as the Training Hall,” he guided her into the room on the right.  “This room is fer weapons training only.  It’s called the Battle Room.  There are also areas behind the hall outside that we use fer archery and sparring if it’s not suitable te be inside.”

       The room was massive and probably over two hundred paces long by a hundred paces wide.  The center of the room was empty, providing plenty of space for lessons.  Large, high windows reflected brightly off the Shendari scale roof and allowed the entire room to be well lit despite its size.  Two younger men were sparring aggressively with shortswords in a corner, sweat glistening on their foreheads.  The right wall held wooden stands with various types of swords, bows, morning stars, spears, staffs, and other weapons.  The border of the wall to the left was lined with bookshelves holding armor capable of covering every inch of a warrior’s body.   At the back of the room were sturdy round tables with cushioned chairs positioned around them.  Scrolls were opened up on some of the tables with small colored stones about the size of fingernails scattered across them.  A group of six or seven people was gathered around one of the tables, listening to a woman in a dark red robe as she pointed to various areas of the map.

       “What are those fer?”

       “We use them te teach war tactics.  Each color stone represents a different type of warrior, like red fer archers, blue fer sorcerers, and black fer commanders.  The scrolls represent different landscapes or battle situations, such as a castle defense, mountain attack, or river fight.  By presenting these different scenarios we’re better able te direct our armies.  This is something the Unni taught te us, as they are master strategists.”

       “But I thought that this place wasn’t built fer war?”

       “It wasn’t built fer it, no, but that doesn’t mean it was never used fer it.  Mostly these were friendly competitions, opportunities te share knowledge and challenge one another.  Unfortunately there were times when it was necessary te fight, either with people and races outside of LeVara’s Kingdom or within.”

       “The weapons in this room are fer practice only,” Fynn continued. “We try te ensure a Keeper can fight with all the basic types of weapons.  Which has come in very handy fer me a few times when I didn’t have a bow or got too close to an Elite.  Sometimes ye need te be able te improvise.  Once a person finds a weapon or two they are particularly fond of, they go te Baelin or another one of the blacksmiths te have one made.  There are times as well when a Keeper will get something Gifted te them fer passing a task, like Arland and the Greatsword of Narajuv or my own Bow of Many.  And once in a while a weapon can be passed down from someone who dies.  We train in the five skills of war, which are offensive and defensive battle, stealth, strategy, and endurance.  Do ye have a preference as te which weapon ye’d like te learn?  Maybe try a ranged weapon like me or Nadia, the bow or throwing spears?”

       “Nah, not if ye actually want me to hit something.  If ye think I’m disastrous in close proximity, wait until I get thirty strides away.  There’s more room fer me to make a mistake.”

       “That bad, eh?”

       “I tried to shoot a friends bow a few times.  Can’t hit the broad side of a barn.  Managed to hit his younger brother’s foot though.”

       “Ouch.  Alright, well maybe a blunt weapon like a morning star?”

       Esra paused to think about this, tried to picture herself swinging a club.  That didn’t seem quite right either.

       “I’m not sure.”

       “May I make a suggestion?”

       “Aye, please do.”

       “I think that ye would be perfect fer a shortsword.  It’s a one-handed deal, so ye can carry a small shield with it.  I think ye’d do well with it.”

       “A shortsword.  That sounds good.”

       “Well, ye can still hack off someone’s foot, but at least we can try and control who’s foot ye’ll be hacking off.”

       They exited the Battle Room and crossed the chamber into the room directly across.  It was the same size and shape as the previous room, with a similarly large open area in the center, except there were more bookshelves and tables scattered around the perimeter.  The shelves held various bottles, stones, Herbs and scrolls.

       “The Magick Room,” Esra guessed.

       “Correct.  This is where we train in the five types of magick.  Restoration, or healing, as ye saw when I mended yer side after yer capture.  Resistance, which is also known as defensive magick, strike or offensive magick, influence, and sight.”

       “And do all the Keepers know all five types of magick and war?”

       “Aye, we all try te know the basics of each.  But everyone has weak and strong skills.  Fer example, I am very adept in the art of restoration but fairly horrid at offensive magick.  I am talented with my Bow of Many, so I choose te use that more often te strike an opponent, but there are some Keepers who can do with their minds what I do with an arrow.”

       “I have so much to learn,” Esra admitted, dismayed.

       “We all felt overwhelmed at first.  The difference is that we had time te practice. Ye may be a wee bit more hurried, but I believe it’s possible.  Let’s go te the Dining Hall next.”

       They made their way out of the building and across the thick Grass, passing the Great Hall and entering into the green and grey foyer of the Dining Hall where Esra had eaten earlier. 

       “The room on yer left is the Dining Hall where everyone takes their meals, which ye’ve already seen.  It was fairly quiet when ye was here te eat, but normally it’s full of other Keepers.  The celebration feast will be here tonight.  This room over here is the Library, as ye can probably guess from the hordes of bookshelves.”

       He guided her through the foyer and into the room on the right, where dark wooden shelves bordered the entire perimeter of the room and ran in rows throughout its middle.   They were very tall, almost four times as tall as Esra, and there were wheeled ladders attached to the shelves at various locations.  Small two person tables and stuffed chairs were scattered in the back of the room, surrounding an immense stone fireplace.  A few people were lounging about, faces buried in thick volumes.

       “Let me guess, this is where Cane lives?”  She teased.

       “Right ye are!” Fynn laughed.  “See, I said that ye was smart.”

       She scanned the long corridors of shelves, stuffed full with books of all sizes and colors.  Stacks of scrolls were tucked neatly between the volumes, breaking apart the darker rows with splashes of white.  She felt a sudden pang of guilt knowing that her scholarly teacher was away from a room full of his life’s passion for so many years.  Sorley certainly had nothing like this.

       “There’s so many,” Esra gaped openmouthed.  “I’ve never imagined there were so many things to be written about!”

       “They cover nearly every subject ye could imagine in all different languages,” Fynn explained.  “There are maps, books of history, poetry, Herb lore, cooking, mercantile, imaginary tales of adventure.  It would take a lifetime te read them all.”

       “I bet Cane is willing to try.”

       “Aye, and considering he’s immortal, he may be the only one with the time te do it.  Let’s move on te the last building, the Great Hall of Keepers.  It’s the largest one centered in between the other two.”

       They made their way back into the open air and turned sharply left.  Approaching the front of the main building, Esra noticed that the structure was preceded with long, low stairs.  Walking slowly up the stairs, they arrived at an entrance that was similar to the others but on a much grander scale, with two giant doors that peaked in the center.  The entire front of the structure was a map of LeVara carved into the massive Yanquor Trees and inhabited by scenes of the four races.  The Eshomee Ledges to the top left beyond the door depicted a view of the great mountain of Idona.  A group of young Elves were surrounding an older one who appeared to be telling a story. 

“Cane had told me that the Elves treasure storytelling as much as the written word.  The detail in these carvings is unbelievable.  There are crinkles in the corner of each smiling person, each blade of Grass has been outlined with precision.”

       The top right was a scene of the Shendari people enjoying a day in Fire Lake, lounging on the shore of Ember Isle and chasing each other in the waves.  The black Pura beasts ran in a herd, their great spiked tails swaying.  The far bottom right was Fira Nadim Forest, where the Unni were crafting various tools at an intricate workshop.  Another picture depicted the Unni-se teaching children how to wield a weapon in what Esra supposed was Shadow Glenn, surrounded by a thick shroud of Trees.  At the bottom left were images of the Humans working the fields and dancing around musicians in a festival.  Perhaps they had Trader’s Days or something like it long ago.

       The two main doors were a portrayal of The Naduri River, the great body of Water that separated LeVara into the east and west Kingdoms.  She could not fathom what material the doors were made of, for the surface glinted and gleamed like Water.  As you walked towards them, it mimicked the appearance of flowing Water, an undulating sea of silvery blues and greens.  It was an extraordinary sight and Esra stood there for quite some time taking it all in.

       “It’s beautiful, eh?” Fynn said softly.  “The only thing that could improve upon it would be my big glorious face as the door knocker right in the center.”

       “I must say I would enjoy pounding a heavy metal knocker against yer forehead.”

       “That’s what they all say,” he pushed open the left door, which swung fairly easily considering its massive girth.  They stepped into a round, bright foyer about three times the size of Esra’s entire dwelling.  The ceiling above was a clear element Esra was unfamiliar with that allowed an uninterrupted view of the sky.  She had never seen anything like it.  The floors in here were the same dark blue as their cloaks, with light gold walls reflecting the Sun richly.  In the center of the room was a fireplace that shone in a sparkling, darker gold trimmed in dark blue.

       Unlike the other two buildings that had two rooms on each side, this room had four entrances.  Two of the doorways appeared to lead down long corridors bordering either side of the fireplace and the usual two were positioned on the immediate left and right. 

       “The Great Hall includes the Council Room and Ceremonial Room, but officially the Great Hall is the enormous foyer we stand in right now.  Foyer is probably not the right word fer it, as ye can see.  It’s called the Great Hall because of the convergence of five, the outer door, two Halls on either side, and two corridors, representing the revered number of Keepers.  The room on the left is the Council Room, which I must show ye quickly because it’s being prepared,” he pushed open the door gently so that Esra could peek into the room where a few people were bustling about, washing floors and arranging lights.  Chairs were positioned around a long table shaped like a ‘U’ that took up almost the entire room.  A substantial grey stone statue with Tur writing towered in between the open space and a small stone podium was perched on the table directly across from it.  There seemed to be a small child dancing about in the far corner of the room.  Squinting at the strange sight, Esra was shocked to see that the dancing child was actually a broom that appeared to be sweeping on its own.  A woman in a light green robe sat at the U-shaped table and flicked her wrist this way and that every few moments as the broom mirrored her motions.