Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition (16 page)

Makya reached behind him to a pile of what
appeared to be lifeless birds. He shook one and threw it high in
the air, where it glowed for a second before suddenly taking
flight. Vartan followed the bird as best as he could with the
strange weapon, sweat forming on his brow in concentration. He
turned the runes to send a bolt of light screaming into the bird,
and his chair fell backwards onto the ground with a loud thud from
the recoil. The bird squawked, fell to the ground, and struggled to
free itself from the burning hot object within its breast. Suddenly
it exploded, the violent force sending wind roaring past their
faces.

“By the gods!” exclaimed Vartan. “This weapon
is simply
extraordinary
!”

Makya helped him return the chair back to its
place and eased him back down onto it. “Luckily, that was not a
real bird. Just imagine what it could do to your enemies,” said
Makya with a knowing smile.

Vartan rubbed his shoulder, still aching from
the force of the weapon’s recoil. His voice strained as he asked,
“I am not used to such strange weapons. Are all of your weapons
this powerful?”

“I can supply you with everything your
warriors will need, but it will naturally come at a price. I
understand your fight better than you know, as I once was in a
similar position to your own. I had the responsibility to save our
people. However, for now I, too, have someone to answer to for
making these weapons. What do you have in those chests to trade?
Fur? Silver? Trinkets?”

As Vartan opened the lids of the heavy
treasure chests, the sparkles of the treasures within lit up the
roof of the building, and also lit up the trader’s eyes. Makya
stood and emptied his pipe, sighing out a final smokey breath as he
spoke. “Well, young hero, I believe we’ve ourselves a fair deal,
and I’ll be sure to leave you plenty to help your cause. Come now;
we have much more in the way of weapons and armour for you to
explore."

Chapter 9: An Unlikely Duo

“Courage is a word used far too often for my
liking. It can be hidden within a mask of fear, or within the blood
of a warrior. Some would say that courage can be encompassed by a
selfless action under a blanket of danger. I believe that to strike
fear into the hearts of men takes courage.

Let them try to take back their great city. I
will be here waiting, searching for the weapon to wipe them all
from the face of this planet. I swear that I
will
find that
weapon, even if Derian cannot lead me to it!”

(Queen Kassina of the Underworld)

The bitterly cold night sent icy shivers
through Aidan’s body as he made his way to the forest’s edge. His
weary eyes scanned for signs of life along the path ahead which led
to the still-lowered gate. Greenhaven was barely lit by the
numerous small fires that still burned within. The Forces of
Darkness swarmed in all corners of the city as if they were ants
devouring a fallen bug.

Aidan knew well the secret entrance which led
to the many sections of Greenhaven, including the royal chambers.
To make it to that entrance, he would first need to cross the gate
safely.

This will be difficult. I need a
distraction. Thank the gods for Trisa’s gifts,
he thought. He
fumbled through his bag to search for an enchanted fireball scroll
when he heard the sound of leaves crunching under approaching feet
nearby. With his hand on the hilt of his sword, he hid behind the
trunk of a tree and stood ready for battle. Aidan called out in a
low voice, “Who goes there?”

“It is only me—Tusdar.” The master thief
stepped out into view, the moonlight illuminating his presence. “I
don't mean you any harm, Aidan. I have actually come to help
you."

Aidan clenched his fists. “Help?” he snapped.
“Of all the people in Marithia, I don’t need
your
help,
Tusdar. Why don’t you go somewhere warm and cosy to drink yourself
silly and leave the fighting to me?”

Tusdar let out a small chuckle. “I’ll ignore
your insults. Surely you
can
spot a good deal when you see
one, can't you? I may have a soft spot for a good drink, but there
is something you don’t realise. I can get close to the wealthy
under the guise of a drunkard, and they tend to boast about their
items of value. I never actually
got
drunk—I just let them
think
that I was. I know I have a bad history, but I want to
change all that, which is why I followed you here after you dropped
by the inn for a drink. Come now, I’ll watch your back for
you."

Aidan’s eyes narrowed. “Hold on a moment,” he
said. “Are you saying that you have been sneaking in and out of
people’s houses without a trace? How much stuff have you managed to
steal? I hope you chose your targets with a conscience. What drew
you to a life of thievery? And what did you do with all of your
treasures
?”

Tusdar looked to the ground and shuffled his
feet. “I... I never stole from anyone who was poor. One of my
greatest achievements was stealing a gold goblet from Kassina’s
tower. That was a bold move on my part, but I never ran into her or
her skeleton warriors. As soon as the war erupted, everything I
took I gave away to the people of Marithia. I hope that it helps
them stay alive. Come on! You can use someone with my skills, and I
am a changed man.”

Aidan contemplated the offer for a moment,
hesitated, then smiled and offered his hand. Tusdar shook Aidan’s
hand and returned his smile with one of his own.

“Everyone
does
deserve a second
chance, Tusdar—even you. But you should know that if I ever catch
you stealing anything of value in Greenhaven, I will make it common
knowledge that you are never again to be trusted—not even to take
out rubbish or to clean stables. Do you understand me?”

Tusdar nodded in agreement and readied his
bow, approaching Aidan’s position. “Fair terms to agree to, Aidan.
So, what is your plan exactly?”

“We will take a secret entrance into the
royal chambers,” whispered Aidan. He pointed to the east turret.
“To get there, we have to cross that lowered gate, and somehow
distract any Forces of Darkness watching it. I will try to send a
fireball to the other side of the city in an attempt to divert
their attention, which should give us a few moments to run across
the bridge to that gate."

“Of course, if it works. And if you
miss?"

Aidan stared at him and sighed heavily. "I
cannot afford to miss. If that happens and we are discovered, then
we have no choice but to flee. That is, of course, if we aren't
captured by Kassina."

Tusdar's face turned serious. "Do what you
must. I’ll be right behind you, doesn't matter what happens."

Aidan pulled out the scroll with the fireball
spell and whispered the inscription.

“
Flamma attorqueatur.
”

His hands glowed and warmed with power as he
took aim at the rear of the city.

“Extraordinary! I should use enchanted
scrolls more often,” he exclaimed, just as the fireballs exploded
from his hands and soared into the sky.

As the fireballs screamed their way through
the city, Aidan could clearly see what looked like dig sites
riddling the streets, each one thriving with activity. Skeleton
warriors hammered away at the earth, tirelessly, under Kassina’s
command.

The first fireball landed at an inn’s storage
room, and exploded with a roar that thundered throughout the
surrounding lands. The second veered off into the deepest dig site.
The explosion sent countless skeletons’ bones rocketing into the
air. Tusdar and Aidan looked at each other in disbelief at their
good luck and burst into laughter.

“That will definitely get their attention.
Run—
now
!” ordered Aidan. He charged toward the lowered gate
as fast as his legs could carry him, with Tusdar following closely
in his shadow.

“Stay close to me, and don’t draw any weapons
unless absolutely necessary,” growled Aidan. “They reflect the
moonlight and will give away our position.”

The men began their run over the bridge,
their footsteps causing the bridge to creak. The city was busy with
activity as the Forces of Darkness roared with fury over the
explosions and disruptions. They looked to the sky in confusion,
preparing for more fireballs to fall and taking cover wherever
possible. The intruding pair caught sight of Kassina and Derian’s
backs as they barked orders from their position in the
parapets.

“All of you, get back out there and keep
digging!” snarled Derian. “We must find Talonsphere at
all
costs!”

Kassina laughed with excitement as she sent
her own fireballs randomly into the sky. She yelled into the night,
“So, the great dragons have
finally
decided to stop by for a
visit? How privileged am I? Show yourselves, you cowards! Allow me
to give you a warm welcome to our city."

A trail of foggy breath trailed behind them
as they gained on the end of the bridge; Aidan turned sharply to
his right and almost tripped over himself as he fled towards the
turret. He ground to a halt and Tusdar barely avoided toppling him
from behind. Aidan's eyes narrowed and he placed his finger on his
lips, pointing to the upper walls of the turret. There above them
stood two skeleton archers, keeping watch over the path ahead of
them, their eyes blazing red in the night. They aimed their readied
bows aggressively, hunting for targets. One of them turned to the
other and spoke in a dark language that sounded like guttural
growls and shrieks. The sound of another explosion came from the
burning inn, and the archers snapped around to look behind
them.

“Quickly now,” said Aidan, running towards
the turret. “Stay as close as possible to the walls!”

As they reached the wall, Aidan placed his
hands on its cold golden surface.

“Tusdar, I need you to turn around while I-,”
he began. His words were interrupted by an arrow tearing through
his arm, and he howled in agony as the burning pain overwhelmed
him. Steaming hot blood ran down his arm, and he fell to his
knees.

Tusdar angrily brought his bow into position,
ran in front of Aidan to shield him, took aim and released an arrow
that hit one of the archers through its skull. The skeleton flew
back and shrieked with annoyance as it smashed into the stony
ground, clawing at its head desperately. The other archer scurried
off to alert the others.

As Aidan looked over his arm, he heard the
stones shift, and he felt Tusdar drag him inside and close the
entrance behind them.

“Now, let’s have a look at that wounded arm,
shall we?” said Tusdar. He reached up the wall and felt around for
a lamp. Suddenly finding what he was looking for, he turned it
clockwise and there was a strange bubbling sound. The fluids inside
it mixed together, and the pitch-black darkness in the tunnel was
suddenly lit with the colour of moonlight.

“Thank you, but…,” began Aidan as Tusdar
removed the armour from his arm to reveal the wound.

“By the gods! We made it into the castle, I
can hardly believe it. You mean, how did I know the secret entrance
and how to use it? How do you think I managed to steal so many
valuables from Greenhaven? By
not
knowing how to sneak in
here and find my way through?” asked Tusdar with a cheeky smile. “I
can handle lighting the way forward for us. These lights are
everywhere in these tunnels. Now brace yourself as best as you
can—this is going to sting a little. Okay, I lied, this is going to
sting a
lot
.”

Aidan bit his lip and clenched his eyes shut.
Tusdar snapped the head of the arrow off and eased the other end
out of the bleeding wound. He quickly tied the torn clothes into a
bandage, and Aidan grunted loudly as it was pulled tight.

“It is only a flesh wound and hasn't touched
your bones, Aidan. It will be tender, but you will be fine. Now,
where are we headed from here?”

Aidan's lips hardened as he stared into the
darkness, “To the royal chambers.”

Tusdar's eyes widened as he took a step
backwards, “You’re wounded, there are only two of us here, and you
want to lead us right to the queen bee in the centre of the hive.
Have you gone mad?”

Aidan got up on his feet, drew out his sword
with his other arm and pointed forward into the waiting darkness.
“Mad? Damn right I’m mad! Great victories are not achieved only at
times of favourable odds and safety, Tusdar. When all seems lost,
only the few who attempt the impossible can have a hope of
achieving it. We have the element of surprise on our side, and
there are secrets of these passages which I’ve found over many
years of exploration."

Tusdar nodded warily, gripped his bow and
breathed deeply as he imagined the horrors that might lie ahead of
them. One heavy breath escaped him. "We’ll likely die here today,
so why not? Let's pay the queen of the underworld a visit."

“That's the spirit! It will take us some time
to reach her bedchambers from here,” replied Aidan. “Let’s go.”