The Exodus Sagas: Book IV - Of Moons and Myth (2 page)

“
Timiorus de muniore
” I quietly stared at my keep, from two miles away or more, and focused on the courtyard before the gray stone foyer and doors.

I was in silver clouds for a blink, maybe less, then I was home. My four stories of stone seemed to welcome me without word,
south Shanador breezes caught my robes, and
the air was heavy in Shaltyn, the month of harvest
.
I smiled and looked out at the sunrise over the western
peaks of the Misathi foothills that I could only see
faintly on a clear morning. My arcane powers still there, latent, easily accessed and used. Yet I knew I must be careful.
I looked to the white stone ring on my right hand, then the green one on my left. I was not concerned that the powers who dwelt on the moons could sense me or my use of the arcane, it was far darker be
ings that those rings
conceal
ed
me from that held a healthy fear and respect in my conscience.

It was Aliday, first day of the week, day of prayer and rest for those that worshipped Alden.
In Shanador that meant everyone for the most part.
I heard the bells from Gillian far to the north over my lands, the cathedrals would be filling in the hours to come.
Ranny and
her family would be going to the city
, leaving me and my son Al
e
s
sandeir, all alone for half the day or more. I smiled again and walked inside my home.

Quiet,
all was
still, I walked into my halls and rooms as if the world had stopped and stolen the noises of which I was accustomed. I removed my leather gloves, my black cloak, and the sword. The
n I set the
hand and a half blade with the ramskull
crosspiece and ruby eyes
above the mantle, hanging above the fireplace that hinted
with telltale warmth that
it had been aflame last night.
Though I was only gone for a week to Acelinne, courtesy of faster travel by
old
arcane skill, what I may of missed at home danced through my thoughts. I heard them, the servant family, the animals outdoors, and then I heard my son. None of them knew
I was home. I smiled and sat
in the small east
facing dining hall near the kitchen, where we ate breakfast.

“Dad
a is home Ranny, so I want sausage and fruit.” Alessandeir let out a yawn as he stumbled his first steps after the stairs down from his room.

“He will be home soon, young lord, soon. Sausage and fruit it is.” Ranny was still upstairs, waking her family from the servant and guest rooms.

“He
is
home, I know it. Not soon
, now
.” My son was sure of it, and demanding in tone.

I saw him look outside, his little four year old frame in the doors of the foyer, peering out north to the countryside. He stood still, hand on his right hip, leaning with his left on the wall, posed much like myself
at times
. I remained hidden, back
resting in a
chair in the morning sun room, shadows of dawn still cloaking my silent presence. Yet he knew
I was here
, I could tell.

“My young lord,
the
Lord
of
Azarris will be gone
for
some time now. Acelinne is a bit of a trip, dear
heart
. And who knows how long the conclave will last? Not I. Then, he must
make the
return.” Ranny picked h
im up, a struggle for her
age, yet she did and held him with a smile.

“But he
is
home, I saw.” Alessandeir smiled.

“You saw it where little lord, up here?” She touched his forehead as she
matched his grin.

“Yes.” He giggled out as she set him down again.

“Children, nie
ce, boys! Help me get the morning ready now, hurry up!” Ranny telled ups
tairs, rousing her family of five to action in her old years
.

“Yeah! Hurry up! I have sausage you
have to cook!” My boy yelled
, taking the mantle of authority in my absence it seemed
.

“Now, now, little lord. I will do the cooking. My boys need to saddle the horses, their boys need to get them brushed, and my niece and you need to eat and get dressed for temple. Tis’ Aliday, and you need to be coming with us to Gillian.” Ranny was walking toward the kitchen.

“
Awwww
uhh
. I don’t want to go to Gillian and the smelly church of Alden
, Ranny
. I will wait for dada.” Arms crossed, defiant, blonde curls over a pouting face, my four year old stood his ground.

“Well your father, Lord Azarris, would wish it. If I were to leave you
here
alone---“ Ranny gasped as she turned and saw me sitting
not five feet from her
. She put her hand over her chest and made the sign of the cross and circled it.

“Dada!”

I stood as I was charged by my son, grabbed him, and swung him up into my arms. It seemed he had grown in this last week. He hugged my neck, I squeezed back,
he smelled of sleep on his skin and
faded
lilac in his hair.

“I knew you were home, told you
Ranny
.”

“
By the wings of Alden
, Lord Azarris, you scared me near to fatal you did.” Ranny was recovering her breath and rocking back and forth to do it.

“Apologies abound, I was trying to keep quiet and not wake anyone.” I nodded, boy attached, then again as her
two
sons in their forties,
two
grandsons in their twenties, and her niece somewhere
in the middle, came down the stairs after hearing Ranny gasp.
All dark blonde
, dark eyes, tall and thin they were. Shanadorian and Harlian mixed it seemed, which was common in this part of Shanador.

“Jaern and Kifan, please bow to our returned lord and see to the horses.
My lord, how could you have possibly made it to Acelinne and back in just over a week, if you don’t mind me asking?
” Ranny bowed now
and in
sisted her tall sons do the same.

“Ahhh,
little mysteries
good housemaid, tis all.”

I returned the bows with a slight nod and a smile, then the same to Kifan’s two sons, Hestal and Fourn, and lastly the quiet
woman, Myrmya
the widow
.
The
y
all were
of Azarris
since their service was to here and to my name
, my family, yet none truly knew of me o
r that the surname was not at all
mine
by blood or lineage
.

“What was the capital like, dada? Was it huge? Did you meet the king and queen?” Alessandeirs blue eyes and smile asked the questions while his little body struggled down to put his feet on solid ground.

“Acelinne is immense, son, majestic and more. Did you know they have over fifty castles there?” I smiled, seeing him
grab the fresh juice of orange
and apple as fast as Ranny set the goblet down.

“Fifty?! That is a lot, that is like ten and ten and ten, and then more than that!” He slurped, dribbled, and looked at his fingers trying to somehow reach fifty.
The smell of sausage caught both our noses as Ranny cooked away.

“It is. And
yes,
I saw King Borgaine and Queen Findyra the Fair, I even saw the
S
hield
of Shanador
in the Aldane Citadel
.”

“You did?! Did you hold it and fight with it?”
The plate set down with still steaming lamb sausage in front of him.

“No son, no. They do not let anyone that close, tis a holy relic to the church
. The last man to hold the shield
was---“ My son cut me off.

“Sir Foltaire
s
the Pure, over four centuries ago when he fighted to protect Saint Tarum from the Altesarron Empires, way
, way, way,
south of here, in Ardoland
er
. Then the floods came, and they all died.” His sausage chewing was mingled with his accurate,
albeit
four year old, rendition of history.

“Yes son, he
fought
against the
Altestan
Empires in
Arouland
. He was a very holy knight indeed. Very good, your mind is akin to a sponge.” I shook his hair amess with my hands as he ate.

“And that was the lastest time Altesarteran invaded Agara, cuz’ they all died in the flood there way in the south.” He smiled, knowingly, innocent, and devoured his breakfast and juice.

“
Altestan
son, yes that was the last invasion. But, they are not all dead, no. The empires to the north are vast, more than we know.” I thought back, remembering wars that no one living could recall
over two thousand years past
, I had been there.

“
Like thousands?”

“More than that I am afraid.”

“Hundreds?”

“No son. Altestan is comprised of dozens of nations, and they occupy a dozen more that they have conquered or hold allied treaty with. I would say, tens of millions live under the rule of the three emperors today, maybe more.”

“Dada, what is a million?”

“It is---“ We all turned, the housemaid, her family, my son and myself. Marching, commotion of organized soldiers to the
south of the keep, near my home and getting closer. I could feel the ground shake beneath my sandals
, the echo of armored men, I grabbed my sword from the mantle.

“Dada, dada, what is that noise?” Alessandeir ran after me.

“Stay here son. Ranny, keep them all inside.” I gave her eyes a stern stare, ignored my sons’ pleas to follow, and stalked out my northern doors and circled around my keep.
It had been nine
years since my release, I was surprised it had taken them this long to find me.

“
Uvirool tapeshti
.
” I whispered an arcane protection that turned my clothing as strong as steel.
Five more steps.

“
Caiferitus pron pilool
.
” I drew my blade as an ebony essence swirled below my feet that would allow me to shift between
any and all
shadows at will. My powers came back to memory faster and stronger than I could have hoped, the energies flowed without effort. Around the east side, marching over the hill behind my home, I was ready for them.
I dropped the leather sheath.

“
Involius trebori
.
”
The wind rushed from behind me, I felt stronger, faster, more aware of everything around. My eyes sensed for the demons, there were none. I reached again with my magicked sight, standing over where the noise should emerge from
, by
the ea
stern bluffs. Nothing enchanted or cursed
, not the Soteth sorcerors of Altestan, in fact, I felt nothing in the realm of the arcane at all.

Line by line, rows of men emerged from the east. Men with gray beards, shorter men, stockier men. I let my guard down
and picked up my sheath
, relaxed my po
wers of the arcane, and rested
my sword. I heard my son running up behind me, obviously having escaped the housemaid and her family. I was less than surprised.

“
Dada, what is it? Who are they?”
He tugged at my robes of black and indigo, put his arms up for me to lift him, yet his e
yes never left the view of one thousand
dwarves marching
west
in the early morning.

I looked at the standards some of the soldiers carried. A pick, a hammer and moons design, gems and stars on another. Some of the soldiers had brown and blonde beards all in braids, yet most were gray. The steps in steel plate, shields and hammers clanking closer, I had to raise my voice to speak to my son.

“Fa
zurand son, dwarves of Fazurand!
Likely they are headed to
Marlennak in the mountains!
” One of the dwarves broke off from the formation with his hand raised toward me. I returned the gesture, Ranny and her family now behind me as well.

“Greetings there, ye’ be the Lord
of
Azarris then?”

The soldier spoke Agarian, and seemed to know of me. I eyed him, never having seen him before. Blonde bushy eyebrows, at least thirty braids of hair and beard that hung over his shining silver plates.