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A Parting Gift
Tron just looked ahead as Dorono finished his tale. "It
sounds like the little Zafara is in a bit of trouble," she said, and Dorono
nodded.
Dorono looked up into the darkening sky. "I
have to go," he said. "I can not leave her to be on the whim of Jown. Who knows
what that Kougra will do." He suddenly let out a large yawn, and Tron grinned.
"Well, ya won't be able to do much if you fall
asleep flying and break a wing will ya? Why don't you just sleep the night here,
and then you can go to find her in the morning."
Dorono knew that he had to go to help Zana,
but he also knew that he needed sleep to do that. A second yawn settled the
matter. Dorono knew that Tron was right, and that if he continued on as he was,
working himself to the point of exhaustion, that there would be no way he could
ever hope to rescue Zana Taru.
"You are right. I will stay the night."
Tron grinned at him. "In that case follow me."
With Bunny at her side, Tron led Dorono over to what appeared to be a large
old twisted tree. Like many of the other trees in the Swamps of Tisitan, it
looked to be older then time itself, with thick gray bark, and scraggily branches
that twisted and turned this way and that. The leaves were blackened as if soot
had been dumped over each of them, and many of them looked to be dead. Tron
however walked right up to the base of the large tree, and placed her hand on
one of the branches and pushed downward. As soon as she did so an opening appeared
at the base of the tree, revealing some stairs that led down into a large room.
"It's not the best, but it beats sleeping out
if it ever rains which it seems to do more often then not here."
Dorono nodded, and descended the stairs. As
he walked under the tree, he had to duck his head, and couldn't help but wonder
why Tron had not made the entrance bigger for herself. Even though Dorono was
quite tall, the darkness Faerie was much taller in comparison. The only one
who did not have to duck was Bunny, who could just walk right under with no
problems.
It surprised Dorono how warm it actually was
in that room under the tree. It felt to him as if he were lying down next to
a warm fire, which after a day of flying felt really good to him. Dorono laid
himself out on the floor, gleaming in the warmth of the room. He had meant to
stay awake a bit longer and to talk to Tron and Bunny, but as he lied himself
out on the ground, he realized how heavy his eyelids felt, and he drooped off
into sleep.
***
A shadow walked through the forest, headed in the exact same direction as
Zarrel and Kirin had taken. His fur was black as night, but was graced with
eyes of blue that stood up against his coat like the moon stood out in the night
sky. He was dressed for travel wearing a black coat to hide his features, and
with a sword strapped at his side. He looked up at the large white mountain
looming ahead of him, and walked foreword towards it. His destination was nearing.
***
"Someone is near us," Kirin whispered into my ear as he motioned for me to
stop. We had been traveling the whole day with not so much as a single problem,
but as night loomed over our heads, we had realized that someone was coming
our way. Friend of foe we were unsure of, but you could never trust on luck
when you were walking right into enemy grounds. Only a fool would do so.
"I also heard him," I whispered back. "Come
on, we shall hide in the shadows until he, whoever he is, approaches. He may
just be one of Jown's creatures, and we can never be too careful.
Kirin nodded, and then we pulled ourselves into
the shadows of a bush, making sure that it was impossible to tell us apart from
the dark ground on which we lay.
I did not see him until he was almost right
on top of us, and the only reason that I did see him was his eyes, the blue
of them stood out as a fair warning. He looked about as he walked, but never
did those eyes drift down to where Kirin and I were lying in wait. We waited
until he was right in front of us and then we jumped from out hiding spot and
tackled into him.
As he fell to the ground, he went to reach for
his sword, but before he could make another move I had my dagger at his throat.
"Make a move for your weapon and I won't hesitate to lick you with my blade."
He gulped and went prostrate.
I grinned. "Tell me who you are, and what you
are doing heading up towards that mountain. Surely you know that it is ruled
by a white Kougra overlord by the name of Jown."
"I will tell you, if you will just take that
dagger away from my throat for long enough that I can take a breath." Surprisingly
enough, he had quite a fair voice for one who looked so dark. It sounded somehow
familiar, but I shrugged that off. Maybe I had met him before on one of my missions.
"Fair enough," I said pulling my blade away
from his throat, but making myself ready to act to any attack in a heartbeat.
Just in case he decided to pull a sudden attack. "Though if you try to pull
something on me, I will not hesitate to destroy you."
He nodded. "First off, I shall tell you my name.
It is Kalzar, and I am a mercenary from far away. I do know that Jown resides
up there, and that is why I am headed in this direction. I have been hired to
cut him down to size, and a good amount of money is resting on my completion
of this mission. I am not one of Jown's creatures if that is what you worry
of Zarrel."
"Zarrel?" I said. "You knew my name without
me telling you. Have we met before?"
"Perhaps," he said. "I have traveled many places,
and met any creatures."
I looked back at him "I do not remember you.
You are familiar, somehow, but I cannot put my finger on why. I think that I
would not be able to forget your eyes. They are quite piercing." Kalzar seemed
to shift a bit on his feet, but I could not see his facial expressions, and
so didn't have a hint as to what he was thinking.
"Take off your cloak," I told him. "Maybe I
will remember more if I can actually make you out."
He seemed to sigh, but then he did remove his
cloak.
"So you too are a Zafara," Kirin said looking
at him. He wore a tunic, but by the way it seemed to ripple, I guessed that
he wore a chain mail coat underneath it. He looked strong enough to be a mercenary,
with his muscles showing beneath his slick black fur. I had to grin, because
for a Zafara, he looked quite handsome in a way. There however was one odd thing
about him. He looked very young, much too young. As was for any mercenary, or
assassin, or any job where you lived and died by the sword, scars, and old wounds
were always present, and the older you were, the more you had. Involuntarily
I reached up to feel my tattered ear. It never had healed fully, and still felt
sore sometimes. Kalzar however, appeared to have no wounds upon him at all.
There were no old wounds, no scars, nothing to show that he had lived such a
rugged life, but then again, that also pointed out that he was most likely not
among the ranks of Jown's creatures. All of them were battle hard, as this youth
seemed to be not.
I decided to test him. "Kalzar, draw your sword."
He looked up at me as I drew my dagger forth,
and he stood up. "Are you sure of this?"
"Yes," I said. I had to view how he was with
a weapon. Perhaps if he was good enough, that could partially explain for the
lack of wounds, even with the job of being a mercenary. Also, to be sent on
a job like that as a mercenary, he would have to be good enough with his weapon
to attract attention.
He looked ahead, betraying no emotion and drew
his sword from its sheath. "Good," I said and attacked.
I thrust my blade foreword, and grinned as he
blocked the attack to the side with a simple move. Then I slashed at him, and
he blocked that, too. I took a step back, giving him a chance to attack me in
turn.
He swung his sword in an arc at me, and I easily
moved to the side, holding up my blade to intercept his attack, and then lunged
foreword at him again. Ducking under his arm, I slashed at his side, and felt
a metallic jolt as my blade nicked off of his chain mail. "I would have gotten
you there," I said, glad that I guessed right that he had chain mail on. Naturally
it would allow me to move much faster then him and allow much more maneuverable
moves. If he had been an enemy, to get rid of him would have been simple, or
at least it looked so at that moment.
Without warning he lunged at me, swinging his
sword, this way and that and thrusting it forward at me. I found myself hard
pressed to keep up with the pace he set, and that was saying a lot. I grinned
as I dodged some of the attacks, and blocked some others with my dagger. I jumped
foreword at him, slashing my blade upwards, but Kalzar raised his blade to block
it right before thrusting his sword at me once again. I hopped to the side to
avoid the attack, but I felt a sliver of pain as his sword nicked my side, making
a real shallow gash, but never the less, he had managed to wound me.
I took a step back and sheathed my dagger in
one quick motion. "You have proved yourself to me," I said, and then he too
sheathed his sword.
Kalzar nodded, "Now perhaps you could tell me
why you are headed up here. I know that you are not with Jown, for if you actually
were, you would have cut me down as soon as I said I was hired to defeat him
myself."
I smiled, "So you also pay attention to small
facts. Well as I see no real reason why I must lie at this moment, I shall tell
you who I am. My name is Zarrel Charmain."
"So I was right on another note. You are an
assassin, but not just any. I never believed that I would run into you. In some
places you are practically regarded as a myth."
"Well me it is," I said with a slight laugh.
"I too am headed up to kick Jown's tail, but for a completely different reason
then you would expect."
"So this isn't a hired assassination on your
part?"
"No," I said. I looked up into the sky, and
then turned back to Kalzar. "The time is getting late. We have talked long enough,
and now Kirin and I must move on." We started to walk foreword, but Kalzar ran
in front of us.
"Wait!" he said, and Kirin and I stopped.
"What is it?"
"If we are both headed up the mountain to take
on Jown, why do not we just work together. That way these is less of a chance
that Jown and his creatures will take us by surprise."
I raised an eyebrow, clearly remembering that
time gone past where Jown and his creatures surprised and captured all of us
but Kirin and I who then set out to rescue the others. That was when Dorono
was brainwashed by the despicable Jown into almost killing me. I don't think
that he has ever truly forgiven himself for that though I had long ago. "You
raise a good point Kalzar," I said. "You can come, but if you lag behind we
aren't going to wait up for you."
He nodded. "Good. When do we set off?"
"Right now," Kirin and I echoed each other,
and then we started to walk once again.
***
Dorono opened his eyes to find the room dark. His Eyrie eyes quickly adjusted
to the darkness, and he took a look about. In the little bed he saw Bunny sleeping,
he guessed by the rhythmic rise and fall of her belly. Mostly everything else
looked as it had before he had fallen asleep, but he could not find Tron anywhere.
It didn't really matter, for he was going to
leave now. He had restless dreams the whole night about Zana Taru, and even
Jown. He remembered what his mother had said about his powers. All that he could
see might be what was really happening to Zana, and if that was true, he had
to go out and save her.
The wounds Jown inflected upon her body.
He shuddered remembering that last piece of his dream. She could be in graze
danger, and he would not sit about waiting till morning while she went through
that. Besides, he felt rested enough with only half a nights worth of sleep,
and with all of his dreams, he knew that even if he went back to sleep it would
be restless.
Dorono walked over to the door, and ducking
his head, he walked up the stairs and out of the warm room. Taking one last
look back, he unfolded his wings ready to take to the air when a voice startled
him.
"Leaving so soon?"
Looking down at him from the branches of the
tree was Tron with a carefree grin about her face.
Dorono sighed. "I have to go. Zana may be in
even worse trouble now."
Tron nodded. "I thought that that would be your
reason," she said, "but don't go just yet."
"Why not?" he asked slightly confused.
"Because I have something for you before you
leave." She turned around and seemed to fumble with a small bag for a second
before she found what she wanted. She then held out to Dorono a small glass
vile of bluish-green liquid, which looked not at all appetizing. A cork held
the liquid inside and a piece of leather string made it almost like a necklace.
"Here ya go," she said handing it to Dorono. "What is it exactly?" he asked
studying the bottle.
"Remember that healing brew I gave you that
long time ago?"
Dorono nodded.
"Well this is basically that, only it is a much
stronger version of it. A single sip will restore a person to full fighting
strength, and a second sip after that may do even more. I figure that you will
need it more then me at this current time."
Dorono grinned taking the potion in his paws
and putting it over his neck. "Thank you Tron. Maybe we will meet again."
"Maybe," was all she said as Dorono took flight,
and with a curve of his wings, directed his flight to take him towards High
Reaches, Jown, and Zana Taru.
Dark Realization
A dark glint touched Zana Taru's eyes as she followed Jown down the corridors
to the main weapons room. Zana Taru was no longer the kind, if not arrogant,
young Zafara of before, but a crisp of what she once was, dark and learning
to be merciless, and all due to Jown's carefully placed words.
"Well Zana, what do you think of the current
troops that Dsupa is training?"
She snorted. "They are much too self-concerned.
They need to learn that their master is you and only you Jown, and that they
cannot just stuff their bellies and plunder others to their hearts content."
"Very good," he said grinning each of his pointed
teeth gleaming in the candlelight. "You have hardly even been here, and yet
you know how things work. I was right in thinking that you would make a good
commander. Too bad you are not older, because then I could just raise your rank
now. However, this proves that once you are older you will be even better then
you are now."
The young Zafara had indeed surprised Jown.
He was more or less just trying to win her over to his side, not expecting her
to even have the least of combative knowledge. Instead he had picked up a youngster,
who only could improve in time, who knew how to fight with a sword, knew what
she was saying, and had a really strong will. He was sure that if she stayed
with him, that she would make an even better general then Dsupa once she was
ready. If all worked to his plans, he would not only have Zana at his command,
but he also would be receiving the Eyrie. He knew that the two assassins Zarrel
Charmain and Kirin would not just leave her with him, they would come. Once
they came there would not be any bargain, they would both die, and he would
capture Dorono. He would have even more power at his command, and his army would
grow.
He grinned again thinking of his army. He had many creatures at his command;
all rugged and bloodthirsty. Most of them were
rogues, and thieves, and any other form of scum he could find that would suit
his purpose. It had taken many years to acquire such a force, but he now believed
that he had plenty enough to take on Laxcorna and win. He had planned to take
control of the city much earlier, but then seeing Vernox march in with all of
his creatures and fail miserably he knew that he could not make the same mistake.
Now was the time to move. Many of the Laxcornians
had been stricken with that sickness that spread through their city and they
were only just starting to recover. He would be able to send his army down and
defeat the Usul queen Laiondite and her pitiful city.
"Come Zana," he said. "And I shall show you
the army of a conqueror."
***
Dorono beat his wings to gain some altitude. He looked below himself at the
last few scrubby trees and bushes, a smile placated upon his beak. The Swamps
of Tisitan were coming to an end and he would be back on more familiar grounds.
Long meadows and small hills; trees and that great looming mountain that was
his final destination.
He felt a warming of the air around him and
spread his wings wide to catch the thermal that was catching upon his feathers.
As he was lifted higher into the sky he smiled. Thermals were more proof that
he was nearing the end of the swamps, some reason they almost never seemed to
come from the swamp, but there were plenty outside of it. They could give rest
to his weary wings while still keeping him aloft.
He came out of the thermal a great deal higher
then when he had caught it. A few birds flew as smaller dots below him and he
smiled as he let a glide pull him slowly in the direction of the mountain. He
was going to reach it on time. He knew in his heart that he would.
***
Zana held a dark stare as Jown led her out to see his army. He walked her
through the camps and pointed out various things and told her of various ways
things were run. Many of the creatures scowled at her and said other much more
insulting things as she passed by. A hard cold look from Jown however silenced
all of their mouths, but their scornful eyes still burned.
***
A little farther off a conversation went on between a shadowed Gelert and
a dark yellow Lenny who had on a headband and who's feathers were ruffled in
anger. "Did'ja hear the gossip Ekan?" the Lenny said to the Gelert.
"Yeah, I cannot believe that Jown would even
think of putten' a female, a little girl in charge of us! Not just any girl
either. It is the daughter of that horrible assassin Zarrel Charmain!"
"Well one things for sure. Makry is not gonna
stand by while Jown goes about putten' little creatures in charge of me. I'll
die before I take orders from a gal who can't have any idea of what she be doin',"
the Lenny said pointing to himself.
"Someone should jest get rid of that little
whelp. She's only going to cause trouble later on," Ekan said rolling his eyes.
Makry pulled out his curved scimitar and licked
the blade. "Maybe that's gonna be exactly what I'll be doin'." The two then
laughed darkly of what they had in plan.
***
"Jown! Trouble arises on the other side of the camp. A brawl is breaking out,
and every creature seems to have a death wish for the next. We need you over
there to settle the matter," Ekan said running up to Jown, waving his arms frantically
about to attract more attention.
Jown turned to head that way, and Zana started
to follow after him, but he put out a paw to stop her. "You just stay here and
look about. I won't be needing any help in settling this matter," he laughed
darkly, and ran off in pursuit of Ekan. Zana watched him disappear into the
distance, and then she walked over to a wooden tent support and leaned against
it. She yawned with no idea of what to do while she waited, but still intent
upon following Jown's orders. She just looked up into the sky for a second but
taking a quick glance downward, she though she saw something reflect the sunlight
on the ground next to her foot. Curious, Zana bent down to see what that was,
just in time to hear the sound of wind rushing past her ears, and have a sword
flung right into the wood at the exact point her neck had been in.
Zana hopped to the side drawing her sword, all
thoughts of the shiny object forgotten as she looked about for the almost assassin.
"That should've cut ya right down to size little
one, but I don't need any stealth to defeat the likes of you."
Zana turned her head to look into the eyes of
a scruffy Lenny just as he pulled the scimitar out from the wood. He laughed
at Zana as she scowled at him.
"So yur the little girl who wants ta play at
solder, huh? Well let me show ya what it's really like TA mess with us. Maybe
I'll make this fast if yer lucky."
"I wouldn't count on defeating me to be that
easy," Zana said darkly right before she attacked.
Jown came back annoyed at the Gelert's fake
warning. There had been no brawl, and as soon as he had turned to find out what
the heck he was pulling at, he had found that the Gelert had disappeared. He
had expected to return to find Zana having not done much, but what he ended
up seeing, surprised and elated him. There was the young Zafara, locked up in
a dual with one of the members of his army, and she looked to have the upper
hand. Even though she was smaller in size and much less in weight, she was using
her advanced agility and speed to her advantage, and while the Lenny had cuts
in several places, she had none marking her.
He turned to the nearest creature, a Pteri perched
upon the tent next to him, and asked it why the brawl had started.
"Well, from what I saw that young Zafara was
just standing there when that blade whisked by her head, barely missing her.
As soon as she found that it was Makry who had tried to destroy her, she attacked
him with her sword. Fights better then you would expect that's for sure."
Jown grinned, "Of course. No one here thought
that I would take a weakling into my training did they?"
At the Pteri's gulp and loss of words, Jown
knew that his suspicions had been correct. He was not blind to the looks and
quiet murmuring shot at Zana Taru. Well, as it was going, he knew that Zana
would prove that she was not a weakling.
After dodging yet another attack from the Lenny,
Zana lunged foreword, her sword aimed right for Makry, and that time, her sword
hit its mark. Zana gasped as she saw what she had done, as she looked up into
the clouding eyes of Makry as he fell to the ground.
She went into a stupor, and stared on blankly
ahead as Jown came forth and laid a paw over her shoulder. "Good job, you always
take down your enemies so that they never get the chance to take down you."
She nodded blankly, not really hearing what he said.
"Find that shadowed Gelert who also conspired
against this Zafara," he shouted loud enough for all to hear. Even Zana heard
him through her trance. "No one tries to trick Jown, and lives to tell the tale,"
he grinned as his troops set off at once to find Ekan, or else face Jown's wrath
themselves.
Zana allowed herself to be led back to Jown's
fortress. She was oblivious to all the words that he spoke into her ear, words
meant to farther her along the path at his side. All she could think of was
of what she had done. Even though her mother and father were both assassins,
and she had seen her fair share of fights, that had been the first time she
had destroyed another creature, and the shock drove her away from the cloudy
dream that she had been living in, and she saw what a fool she had been. She
was ready to turn against her family, just the same way as Dorono had, and she
knew that he had never forgiven himself for almost killing her mother as she
tried to save him. What if she, Zana Taru, had not realized what was happening.
Would she too have tried to destroy her mother? Would she have succeeded? She
was afraid of the answers to these questions.
Once Jown had led her inside of the fortress
she managed to find her voice. "I-I'm heading off to my room…" she said slowly.
Jown just nodded.
"I will call you out soon to began weaponry
training," he said, and then Zana scampered off down the hall and off to that
room which was hers. The only sanctuary she had from the halls of Jown.
She ran inside and slammed the doors, feeling
tears starting to well up upon her face as she looked up at the large wooden
door. What had she done? She had been willing to sell her soul to the vile Jown
for power alone. With visible tears streaming down her cheeks, she turned around
to see none other then a Lupe boy, who was probably just a few years her elder.
He had tried to run when she saw him, but Zana was in the way of the door, and
all he could do was try and duck behind the bed.
She quickly brushed the tears off of her face
"Who are you?!" she demanded.
He pulled out a small dagger from a belt pouch
at his side. "Wouldn't you like to know miss Jown's apprentice?!" he shouted,
and at those last three words, Zana shrank back within herself. She fell down
to the floor, and shook as she tried to hold the tears back. He had just reminded
her of what she had done.
The boy replaced his dagger, and sent a curious
look at Zana. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. "I don't have the time for
this, I have to get out of here, and you are in the way of the door!"
Zana lifted her head and looked at the Lupe.
His clothing was old and baggy, and his eyes were a deep hazel upon his otherwise
yellow fur. Looking at his bulging pockets, and belt with many pouches all of
different sizes; she realized that he was a thief.
"Why should I move aside for a thief who tries
to steal my stuff?" she asked wryly, trying to wipe away the tears that still
lingered upon her face.
He sighed. "Look, I just don't want to fight
you. You're much smaller, and a girl. Even though I probably should just get
rid of you for being Jown's underling I don't want to if I don't have to, but
if you don't let me pass I'll have to force my way through."
"Don't call me Jown's underling, or Jown's apprentice,
or anything that has to do with Jown," Zana growled under her breath.
"Why, for that is what you are?"
"Not any more," Zana said.
"What?" the Lupe looked genuinely confused.
"I am going to leave here, and never come back.
Jown is a fiend, I can't believe that I sold myself thinking otherwise." Zana
held back her tears, and stood up as tall and as proud as she could make herself.
The thief boy grinned lopsidedly. "Heh, well
then. My name is Galthur. You can come with me, otherwise I doubt that you will
ever be able to escape."
"You are actually willing to help me?" Zana
stood up wiping away the last of her tears.
"Of course," Galthur snorted. "I can't leave
any creature along to Jown's will. Besides, it will be worth it to enrage him
at loosing his treasured apprentice."
Zana smiled back. "Okay then, my name is Zana
Taru."
To be continued...
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