Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) (33 page)

“Yes?”  Sytravious inquired.

“So here we are now with the port of Springdale a mile away.  Have you put any more thought into where you will head from here?  My offer still stands.”

“I have, and decided that we will travel with you as far as the shores of your land, but we will go our own way after that.  We want to live in solitude, and we would appreciate it if you did not mention our existence to anyone.  Once the time is right, perhaps I will find you.”

Hellios nodded and kept his stare focused on him.  Sytravious took note that his stepfather did not object.  It was as if Nysight had surrendered to the fact that their paths were destined to part.  Hellios pulled out a tattered cloth from his pocket and tossed it to Sytravious.

“Alright, well here is a map of my land in case you change your mind.”

Sytravious picked it up and realized that upon inspection it was just a dirty handkerchief.  “Are you trying to be funny?”

“No.  Soak it in some water and you will see.”

Sytravious poured some water over the rag, and once it was wet, a detailed image of the lands appeared.  The map concentrated on southern Moruz and beyond.  The Red Curtain had a path drawn through it, which led into the southern wilderness, a place that was uncharted on any other maps in the land.  The focus of the map was a stronghold that was deep in that territory, and surrounded by small cities, labeled
Xandunia
.

He studied the surrounding areas, noting several places of interest where he might try to settle.  From this map, it was clear that there was a whole other world south of the Red Curtain, one that was unknown to the kingdoms in the north.

“Thank you, friend. I shall put this to good use,” Sytravious said, before stuffing the map into his shirt.  Raiven leaned against his shoulder.  He cherished the moments he could be near her and looked forward to the next time they could sneak off together.

The sound of a twig snapping caught everyone’s attention.  Nysight and Hellios jumped to their feet.  Bryce picked up his sword as Sytravious moved Raiven behind him to shield her from any danger.

“Show yourself,” Bryce shouted.

Several arrows swished through the air and hit the ground in front of each of them.  The archer had not missed.  They were meant as warnings.  Sytravious was sure that whoever hid in the darkness could have struck them down if they had wanted to.

“Drop your swords and I shall come forward,” a familiar voice called back.

Recognizing the man’s voice right away, Sytravious sighed.

“It is alright, men, I know this man well,” Bryce said.

Nysight and Hellios lowered their weapons, but refused to drop them.  Through the darkness, they heard footsteps walking through the grass, and moments later, the constable appeared illuminated in their campfire.

“Good evening, gentlemen and priestess.”

Sytravious’ heart sank, as he scanned the darkness behind the constable.  If he had caught up to them already, who else could be lurking out there now?

“What are you doing here, brother?”

“I should be asking the same of you.”  Elric walked up to Bryce, and smacked his head.  “Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you will be in should you be caught traveling with this lot by your own choosing?”

Bryce rubbed his head where his brother slapped him, and turned away.  “How did you find us?”

“I am a constable.  It is my job to investigate and track.  You are lucky that I am a bit faster than the rest of the group pursuing you now.”

Raiven stepped out from behind Sytravious to come to Bryce’s defense.  ”He has done nothing wrong!”

“I thought you were out on a mission for the warden?  How did you get caught up in this mess?”  Sytravious asked.

Elric glared at Sytravious with wrath, which made him nervous.  “I was on a special assignment, but it was not for the Warden.  Her Holiness tasked me with the duty of continuing the next phase of my investigation.  Were you foolish enough to believe that her arrival in Havencrest focused on a tournament and finding a new guardian?”

Raiven looked confused.  “What exactly did Jezra ask you to do?”

“Priestess, remember when you helped me discover the evidence in the Foxfire Woods killings?  We both agreed that the odd presence of a peach fabric at the scene could be the key to discovering the ones responsible.  Upon finding out that Ruby is Sytravious’ mother, Her Holiness ordered me to track Ruby’s movements.  I, of course, objected because I could not see the connection, but the high priestess is older and wiser, so I obeyed.  The first few days I followed her, I thought the mission was pointless.  What possible use could tracking Ruby provide to the case?  Then one day, when I was off duty and getting a drink at the Trapper House, I noticed something of interest.  While I watched Ruby serve her customers, I noticed her
peach
colored apron was missing a pocket.  That interested me, and that was when I believed Jezra was onto something, so I continued the arduous task of monitoring Ruby’s every move.  It was my mission up until a few nights ago.”

“That is enough!”  Nysight shouted and stepped forward.

“What is going on, Constable?  I do not understand.  Why would you do that?”  Raiven asked.

Sytravious could feel her staring at him, but he was too panicked to look at her.  Elric snapped his fingers and a dozen archers appeared behind him, bows set to fire.  Nysight readied his swords, and Hellios twirled Daegon’s Rage in preparation for a fight.

“Do not make any rash choices, friends.  I did not come here to fight, or even arrest anyone.  Unfortunately, the authority to make such decisions is out of my hands.  These are my own men and they are loyal to me, so whatever transpires here between us shall stay here.”

“He is right.  Look at their clothing, they do not wear any sort of unit marks,” Nysight murmured, before signaling Hellios to stand down.

“That could have been anyone’s piece of cloth that we found.  Constable, please tell me what does this have to with us?”  Raiven pleaded. 

“Priestess, what I observed validated what the high priestess feared.  Just the other evening, I spied on her as she fought in a vicious duel with that man right there.”  Elric pointed at Hellios.  “Ruby used forbidden magic in the fight, which is how she revealed herself as a witch hiding among the people of Havencrest.  I reported my findings to Jezra, but she was not allowing visitors into the temple that night, so I went to General Kenshiro instead.  He ordered that I keep the findings to myself, and not report to Jezra any longer.  Since she had decided to bring her new champion into her faction, the general believed her input would be biased, and therefore useless.  He took over the case from there.”

“But what do you consider ‘forbidden’ magic?  A simple defensive spell?  I just cannot believe it is as bad as you are making it out to be.  You know my cousin always goes to extremes.  We are all innocent here!”

“I am afraid not, Priestess.  See, in the days following the duel, we watched as Sytravious was escorted into the temple.  He left his parents and that stranger behind.  That is when we put surveillance on the home and even attempted to have Sytravious followed as well, since we did not know his connection to the case yet.  Then, when news of a group of foreigners entering the city reached General Kenshiro, he directed the elite guard to follow them.  It did not take long to find out who they were and why they had come.  With the new details the elite guard provided, I believed we had more than enough evidence to arrest all parties involved, so I requested the orders to arrest them.  However, the general had a different plan, one I do not understand.  Rather than grant me the request, he had the elite guard fall back, and allowed the foreigners to continue their mission.  It turns out that they were an assault team sent by notorious warlock in Moruz.  Amongst them was someone we identified as Saliz the Wicked, a famous albino warlock from the First Legion of Moruz, known to be in the services of Lord Fheng, but I am sure
you
already knew that.”  Elric directed the accusation to Sytravious, Nysight, and Hellios.

Sytravious felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.  Kenshiro and Elric had known for days that Nyxseous was a witch and that she possessed the black flame, but it was the fact that the general sat back and allowed the assassins into the city to kill his mother, is what enraged him.  Why had Elric not warned him before now?

“I witnessed the group attack their target, Ruby.  I watched as Saliz killed her, how he met his demise, and
everything
that followed.”  Elric narrowed his eyes as he glared at Sytravious.

“This cannot be true.  There has to be some sort of mistake in your investigation.  Why would anyone want to hurt his mother?  There must have been a mix-up.  Sytravious tell him!”  Raiven grasped his hand and squeezed it as she shouted at Elric.  He could hear her breathing fast, unable to hide her anxiety.

“Priestess!”  Elric spoke over her panicked pleas, “We have identified the culprits of the Foxfire Woods murders, and I think you will want to know what they have been hiding from all of us in Havencrest.”  He took a step closer to Sytravious and uttered, “Would you like to tell her, or shall I?”

Raiven was on the verge of tears, and moved between Elric and Sytravious.  She faced Sytravious and held his face in her hands.  He could not escape the mess he had made.  He watched as her lower lip quivered and tears started to trickle down her cheeks.  Knowing it was his fault that she was so distressed, shattered his soul.  He tried his best to think of anything he could say to better his situation, but it was impossible.  The reality of Elric’s words came crashing down on his deceitfulness and he took in a deep breath and began to explain. 

“The day we split up at the spring, when you heard the explosion, my mother was attacked while picking herbs in the temple fields.  The men who attacked her were soldiers from the First Legion of Moruz.  They wanted to kill her and my stepfather.  She acted in self-defense, and consequently the men died in the process.  By the time I arrived, the fight was over, with the exception of one survivor.  My mother wanted me to kill him, but I…I could not do it, but I should have!  If I had killed him that day, everything that has transpired since could have been avoided.”

“Sytravious, why?  Why were they trying to kill her?  Tell me the truth,” she demanded.

He felt as if he did not even have the strength to stand on his own two feet anymore, but he swallowed his fear of her judgement.

“They wanted to kill my mother because she was Nyxseous VanDrake, the only surviving child of Byronicus VanDrake.”

Chapter 28

Into The Darkness

S
ytravious watched tears streak her face as she packed up her things.  Raiven had not voiced a word after he revealed the shocking truth of his VanDrake name.  He wished he could tell what was going on in her mind.  He wanted to beg her to stay, to wait, and hear him out, but he could not bring himself to defend his lies.  There was no explanation worthy of her forgiveness.  In truth, his mind was also reeling from the dramatic turn of events that had taken place over the past two days and felt as if he wanted to scream, but all he could do was stand there frozen, as Raiven prepared to leave with the Duegar brothers.

“My only concern was for my brother.  I never had the agenda to take the priestess away.  It was her own decision to leave.  Nevertheless, it is better this way.  Imagine the life she would have led on the run with you.  Always having to seek solitude and peace, but never finding it, and forever having to flee from the wrath of Valcrest,” Elric said.

Sytravious did not entertain him with reply.  He was more concerned with Raiven.  She was refusing to make eye contact with him, and every so often, she would break out into a sob before trying to compose herself.  Sytravious wanted to help, but he knew better than to approach her just yet.

Elric continued speaking, “The fact you are a VanDrake is a burden that is yours to bear.  We will not join you in confronting the consequences that come with the name, but I will ask you to leave this land now, and never return.  If you will not do it for my sake, then do it for the sake of my little brother.  He would have followed you into any chaos, and you were going to let him join you.  He would have eventually been killed because of your deception, which is something I cannot and will not allow.  I am sure you understand.”

“Oh, just shut it already.  You have said more than enough,” Nysight blurted out.

Elric signaled his men to prepare for departure.  Bryce tossed some bags over his shoulder, and glanced at Sytravious one last time before following Elric out of the camp.  Raiven stood with her back to Sytravious, reluctant to follow her guardian.  Sytravious panicked, knowing this was his last chance to convince her.

“Raiven, please wait, do not leave me like this.”  He hoped by some miracle, she might hear the sincerity in his voice and understand how much he truly loved her.

She turned to him and tears glazed her golden eyes.  She took deep breaths as she waited for him to speak.

“I wanted to tell you the truth about me, but what priestess would ever give someone like
me
a chance?  I fell for you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and the idea of you being repulsed by my identity frightened me.”

She furrowed her brow, but remained in front of him.  He was grateful she allowed him to continue speaking.

“Still, it was no excuse to deceive you all this time.  My own selfish fears prevented me from trusting you with this knowledge, and you did not deserve that.  However, I never lied about my feelings for you.  I love you Raiven, and even if you leave me now, that will
always
be true.”

Raiven closed her eyes, sighed, and started to fidget with her cloak.  He sensed her inner battle, knowing she was hesitant to believe him.  Elric cleared his throat and waited for her to join his group.

“Sytravious, I can understand and maybe even have forgiven you for being afraid to be honest with me in the beginning.  But from the moment you stole my heart, and allowed me to give the most precious parts of myself to you...”  Her face twisted up in an attempt to hold back her sobs.  “You should have known you could trust me.  Now I feel violated and betrayed, and to know it is because of you only makes it hurt even more.”

Sytravious was dying inside, and having to witness how his actions hurt her so much, made it that much worse.

“Who knows if I would have fallen in love with you regardless of the truth?  Who knows if I would have followed you this far?  Sytravious, you took that decision away from me when you decided to be untruthful.”

“Raiven, please, I only---”

“No!  I cannot do this right now.  Just let me go, I need to go.  I am sorry, but I just cannot handle this.”

Sytravious hung his head in shame, unable to speak.  His heart beat hard as he was overcome with anxiety.  After everything that he had suffered, the one thing that made him fight on was going to walk out of his life.  How could he lose her?

“Will I ever see you again?” he whispered to her when he saw her start to walk away.

Raiven stopped in her tracks and appeared to dwell on the question for a few moments, before walking back towards him.  Without speaking a word, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek and placed an item in his hand.  It was one of the enchanted parchment scrolls.  He closed his eyes, unable to watch her leave.  The soft sounds of her footsteps grew fainter until all he could hear were trees rustling.  Sytravious gulped down the lump in his throat, opened his eyes, and saw Elric trailed the group that left the camp.

“You know I am not a bad person!  Not all VanDrakes have to be tyrants,” Sytravious called out to him.

The constable looked back and shook his head.  “Really?  I know what you have in your leather satchel, so forgive me if I do not believe you.”

Sytravious did not reply as Elric disappeared into the darkness, knowing his old friend could not fathom the situation.  He spun around and tore the wrapping off Griever.  The campfire reflected off its pristine dragonite steel.  He vowed right there never to hide his true nature ever again, embracing his fate as his mother’s son.  Hellios and Nysight watched him with sympathy, but Sytravious did not want their condolences.

“You know, your mother walked out on me quite a few times.  I thought it was the end of the world.  I really did, but she always came back.  Son, the point is that sometimes women get infuriated and need space.  Their anger is so convincing, you will truly believe they are gone for good, but if she loves you, she will not go far.”

“I bet we will find her in Springdale come morning,” Hellios added.  “There is a popular inn there - Crossings.”

Sytravious glared at them.  He did not want to talk about Raiven’s departure, but deep down inside he hoped they were right.  Perhaps they could pass through that inn when the gates opened at dawn.  If she was there, she might have calmed down and changed her mind.  He was trying to be careful about building up false hopes, but at least there would be something to keep him going.

“Yeah, maybe so,” he said, “I will get some rest then.  Wake me at dawn.”

Sytravious laid down and stared into the fire, trying to rest, but all he could think of was how it was only the night before that he had fallen asleep with Raiven in his arms.  His thoughts drifted back to their time at the pond.  He remembered the feel of her skin, the floral scent of her body, and the passion in her honey-colored eyes.  He made sure nobody was watching him, before he pulled out his parchment and wrote three simple words.

“I am sorry.”

He drifted off to sleep, waiting for the reply that never came.

Sytravious bolted up at the sound of his stepfather’s stern voice.  “Wake up!”

The sun had just begun to rise on the horizon.  He felt like he had not slept at all.  Nysight was smothering the fire with dirt, while Hellios surveyed they valley below.  Sytravious grabbed Griever as he tried to get his wits about him.

“He must have brought the whole damned southern brigades with him,” Hellios said.

Sytravious rushed next to the legionnaire to see what he was talking about.  A perfect formation held up thousands of torches that lit up the landscape.  Each battalion of soldiers marched with raised banners of Havencrest and Springdale.  He estimated there had to be at least 10,000 soldiers advancing on their position.  From vantage point, he could tell they were less than three miles away.  Sytravious gritted his teeth in rage at the sight of Kenshiro leading the army.

“Looks like he was serious about chasing us down, huh?”  Hellios asked him. 

Sytravious knew Kenshiro wanted to track them down, he just never believed he would gather such a force in time to catch up to them, and then he thought about the possibility of Raiven being in Springdale.  Could she have seen the army on her way there?  Maybe she hid and is waiting for him.

“Maybe they will pass us by.  If we remain hidden we can slip behind the formation,” Sytravious said.

“Not likely.  They are making a straight line right for our camp.  They know we are here.  The constable could have told them where to find us,” Nysight replied.

The idea of Kenshiro finding Raiven sickened Sytravious to his stomach, but he fought the idea and clung to the hope that she had managed to avoid being caught.  He had to think of a way to catch up to her and make sure she was safe.  He offered another idea, “Can we get out of here, and get around them before they get here?”

“That is doubtful since their formation is wide.  If we get spotted that far out in the open, we will be sitting ducks in the valley.  I am afraid we have been cut off from Springdale and our only option is to go up into the mountain,” Nysight said.

Sytravious did not want to give up on his plan to find Raiven, but for now, he had to trust Bryce would look out for her as he always had. 

“Perhaps I should go down there and tell them the priestess has gone home, and that they could all be home in time for supper.”  Hellios laughed to himself.

Nysight raised an eyebrow and squinted.  Sytravious recognized that look, and knew his stepfather was concocting a plan.  “You joke, but perhaps that is the key to buying more time.  If they believe she is still with us, they will not rush to attack.”

It was a decent strategy for now, but it would only provide them with a temporary reprieve.  They needed a long-term escape plan once they evaded the current threat.  “What is the plan once we are cornered up on the mountain?” he asked his stepfather.

Nysight stared up at the mountain.  “Hellios and I will search for a passage that can take us through while you hold off anyone who advances upon the mountain’s pathway.  It is only wide enough for two men climb at a time, which will slow them down a great deal.  Sytravious do not hold back.  Use the black flame because there is no point in hiding anymore,” his stepfather told him.

Sytravious glanced at the valley again, noticing how the leading brigade was approaching their camp in a hurry.  Some were on horseback, carrying pikes, and ready for a full on assault.  It would only be a few more minutes until the confrontation.

“I guess that will work for now.  Come on!”

They grabbed their weapons and some light gear, leaving everything else behind, including the horses.  Sytravious ran to his steed, grabbed his leather satchel, and secured it over his shoulder. 

“Wait,” Hellios said, before untying the animals to set them free.  “There, now they cannot count the horses.  They would have been a dead giveaway that it was just the three of us.”

The trio began their escape, making their way high enough to get a full view all the way to Springdale. 

“Take care of yourself, we will not be long.  If you get overwhelmed, blow up the mountainside.  The avalanche of rocks should slow their pursuit,” Nysight told him.

Sytravious hugged Nysight and then watched as they continued up the mountain without him.  He stayed where the best defensive position was, and waited as the sounds of the military horses came nearer.  With Griever in his grip, Sytravious let his magic flow into the weapon, igniting the halberd with the VanDrake power once again.

He could hear Kenshiro shouting commands to his men to take position.  Sytravious had to resist the urge to go down and meet the General head-on, instead of standing his ground.  The army marched forward, spreading out even wider to surround the side of the mountain.  If Nysight and Hellios did not find a way through the mountain, this is where they would make their last stand.

Once they were within yards of Sytravious, Kenshiro ordered his men to halt.  “Where is the priestess?  If you laid one hand on her, I will---”

“You will what?  Kill me?  I dare you!”  Sytravious shot a flaming explosion from his blade down at the soldiers.  They leapt out of the way, and the magic crashed into the ground, shooting debris in all directions.  The approaching battalions saw the blast and stopped in their tracks.  Sytravious smirked at the sight of the army’s cowardice.

“You may have the upper hand for now, VanDrake, but your magic will only get you so far in this battle.  Death will find you soon, just like it did for your traitor mother!”

Kenshiro’s remarks enraged him, and he answered with a dozen fireballs that wreaked havoc on the elite guard.  Soldiers scattered in all directions to avoid his wrath.  He could hear the General cursing and commanding his men to get out of the way.  Sytravious fired a few more spells, forcing the men to pull further back.

The standoff continued over the next few minutes.  He was taking advantage of his position on higher ground, and Kenshiro’s failed plan of attack.  Sytravious was feeling good about the plan Nysight had come up with, until the infantry archers arrived.  Kenshiro instructed them to fire, and a cascade of arrows rained down on the mountainside.  Sytravious was forced to duck as the arrows kept pouring in wave after wave.  That strategy allowed the elite guard to advance up the path again.