This is a fairly long story; so, if you don't want to read I understand.
I got bored of this one and couldn't finish it or even get very far.
1
The Blades
The beginning always seems the best place to start; but here, there are no beginnings, nor endings. Time continues, unaltered and unstoppable. The prophecies of time state that all shall die and be born once more until the end of time. Well, that time draws near, and it seems no one can stop it. The question is, can someone?
The small town of Fortune was as busy as ever. With traces of snow already appearing, people were hurrying to get their small homes prepared. The bustle of the town hardly slowed when an ornately fabricated carriage made its way steadily into town.
For many it seemed amazing that anyone who could afford such a carriage would even realize that Fortune existed, but people were so caught up in their chores that many of them didn’t even notice it.
Barye, the inn keeper, greeted the young woman who stepped out of the carriage rather quickly; at least, it seemed that way to Cede. Cede was a man, barely old enough to be called so, who was the best archer in the village. He was also the most adventurous of the group his age. All the girls wished they could just get a second glance from him.
Cede then notice a rather stone-faced man step out of the carriage right behind the lady. The first thing that caught his eye was the sword which hung casually at the man’s side. He immediately wanted to meet him.
Dual was just the inn’s cook. Not a soul paid any attention to him. He wasn’t what girls would call handsome, because his face looked rough, since he almost never had time to shave. He really didn’t care much about what people thought of him. He really didn’t seem to talk much either, but that was because nobody wanted to talk to him.
As Dual watched Barye talking to the lady, he noticed the stone-faced guard staring right at him. He quickly ducked back inside the kitchen only to be confronted by the guard moments later.
“You seemed fairly interested in watching us.”
“I didn’t mean any...”
“Don’t worry lad. I wished to talk with you. We’re looking for someone to help us, I guess you could say we need a cook...”
“I don’t think you want me to come along with you. Anyway, I have duties that I must do here.”
“Very well, I’ll see you later.”
When the man left, Dual heaved a sigh of relief, which didn’t last long.
“Are you slacking off again, boy?” Harold screamed, He was the head cook.
“No sir, I just...”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, boy!”With that Harold stormed out.
I never get any rest, making me cook and clean day and night. No sooner had the thought gone through his head than the lady from the carriage walked in. Bloody, will I ever get a flaming break today?
“He seems to push you quite hard. Does he do any of the work?”
“No... uh...”
“Please, call me Marriless.”
“No, Lady Marriless.”
“Please, dispense with the formalities.”
Bloody, she can’t be more than a year older than me!
“Master Barye tells me you are the best cook in the city. I’m in need of a new cook.”
“I’m not that good...”
“From what I’ve heard you seem good enough. I know that you have already declined the offer from Tor. Please, reconsider. I will be in town for the next few days; so, if you change your mind please tell me.”
Dual just gawked as Marriless walked gracefully out. She was a very pretty girl, but it was hopeless to think he stood a chance against Cede.
“Isn’t it interesting the way she acts?” came a voice from behind him.
“Cede, do you really think she will even notice you?”
“Who asked you? I know I didn’t, so shut up!” Suddenly Cede’s fist began to fly up, but before Dual realized it, he had knocked Cede to the ground.
“You’ll pay for... Huh?”
Wondering what Cede was looking at, Dual spun around to find himself facing Harold.
“Fool boy. How could you have done that? You really will pay.”
Dual heard Cede chuckle as the big man raised a fist. Bracing, Dual expected to be knocked unconscious. A familiarly gruff voice came from the doorway.
“I think we need your decision now. It seems our stay here will be shorter than we thought. Oh, you must be Harold. It’s a pleasure to meet you, but under the circumstances I must ask that you excuse the lad.”
“Are you really the lady’s guard?” Cede quickly put in, but the man continued as though he hadn’t said anything.
“Please, follow me and we’ll discuss your decision. Your name is dual, right? Master Barye has told us much about you.”
Dual followed the man reluctantly up the stairs at the back of the inn. It was a very narrow set of stairs, but they seemed even smaller today. The stairs were not very high either; but, as with the width, they seemed a mile high.
Not knowing what to expect, Dual slowly followed Tor through the door to the private dining room. He was surprised to see even more people than the carriage could’ve held.
He heard the biggest man in there saying, “We must bring order back to our lands. Gorte is trying to cause this land to split and...”
“Not to worry, the answer to our problem has arrived,” stated Marriless in that cool calm voice. Tor quickly whispered something in her ear and her spirits seemed to sink, but she quickly recovered. “It seems that Gorte is also here. He is staying in the woods to the east but is frequently coming into town.”
“Could he also be searching?”
“If he is, then we must hurry.”
Everyone was talking at once. Suddenly they all fell silent and turned toward him. Not knowing what to do, he kept his silence. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter by the second, but he was too nervous to care. What have I gotten myself into?
“As I was saying, the answer to our problem is finally here. This is Dual.”
“He’s just a boy. How could he be the answer to our problems?”
“His father was Eevrin.”
Dual heard murmurs of it being impossible. Dual remembered very little of his father; actually, he remembered almost nothing. The one thing he did remember was his father telling stories that he was sure were just made up.
His father had left two years ago to fight in a war, which was unthinkable considering the way Fortune thought of wars. The only thing the people in Fortune knew about war was that it never came here. Everyone thought that you should just stay out of matters concerning war.
“If you really are Eevrin’s son,” stated the biggest man, “show us the scar.”
Yes was the reply from the rest of the men. Though Dual could only think of one scar he had, he hoped it was not the scar they were talking about.
“Please, show us the crescent-shaped scar,” Marriless asked gently.
Slowly Dual ripped of his right coat sleeve. It revealed a pale scar in the shape of a crescent. Oh, luck, just my flaming luck that it wouldn’t have faded yet.
He began to hear the men talking quietly amongst themselves. He hoped and prayed that they would let him go. Though it was beginning to seem that they would take him away.
A knock at the door announced the arrival of drinks. Brown haired Farad walked as gracefully as any queen. She quickly set the tray down and bowed her way out. He had always thought her beautiful, though he knew he was like the wind to her. She never seemed to notice him and that was because she didn’t care about anyone but herself. At least, that was how it seemed. He had often heard her weeping at night as he walked to his house.
“Boy, are you even listening?” Questioned a small man with a hooked nose and strange earing.
“Sir, I was just thinking about my house and Master Barye.”
“We’ll settle it. The boy will come with us.”
As Farad made her way slowly from the door, she began thinking how she could follow Dual. Though no one knew it, she liked Dual. Cede would be extremely jealous if he found out.
She suddenly realized a man was standing against the wall right by her. She thought he was about as old as herself. He was wearing a dark cloak that looked to be made of silk.
“That boy won’t be able to do it alone. I will have to tell the guild,” muttered the man. Farad hoped he hadn’t noticed her. “Do you know the lad, girl?”
“M-me, sir? Yes, I do,” answered Farad.
“You must stick by his side. He will need all the help he can get.” With that, the man walked out leaving Farad even more puzzled. Slowly she began to walk away when she heard a silky voice behind her.
“Do you know who that man is?” asked a voice from behind her.
“N-no.”
“He is a warrior, but not just any warrior. He’s from the Guild of the Night Warriors.”
“You mean... he’s a Night Warrior?”
“Yes. I heard him tell you to stay close to the boy. I guess you should come with us.” With that the woman signaled her to follow. She was led to the stables where she found Dual saddling her gray mare. She noticed his white gelding was missing, in its place stood a black warhorse. As Dual finished, she also noticed her saddle bags full.
“I had extra clothes that I am happy to be rid of,” stated the woman. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Marriless.”
“Thank you very much, but I can’t leave without telling my family.”
“You must hurry, we can’t stay much longer or else we might be too late.”
“Dual, why did you not mention your mother?” asked Marriless.
“My mother died along time ago. Speaking of which, can you tell me what happened to my father?”
“Well, I don’t know where to start...”
“He died in battle. Stabbed through the back by a Death Hawk’s spear. If it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t be here right now,” said Tor.
“He was a great man. He always talked about his amazing son.”
“Hold it,” interrupted Dual, “who are you Lady Marriless?”
“I am the princess of The Watch. I am surprised, this is part of The Watch.”
“There hasn’t been a tax collector here in some time. No one even remembers the last time.”
“I’m back,” chimed Farad.
“Very well. Tor, lead the way.”
Slowly the strange party made their way through the town. Dual thought that they would be heading south, but they were going east instead. After about an hour of slow moving, Tor stopped dead in his tracks.
“Who goes there?” said a rough voice. Dual couldn’t figure out who it was because at the same instant he could hear arrows being knocked.
“The Lady Marriless and company.” Before Tor was finished at least two dozen bowmen stepped out into the lantern light. It was not difficult to pick out the captain. With a snow-white breastplate and helmet he was clearly visible.
“We are ready to move,” stated the man very bluntly.
“We leave now, quickly. We will meet you back here.”
At that the man left. They sat there in silence until a sharp crackle announced a visitor. With out hesitation Tor had his bow out and had already let two arrows fly, while everyone else was still knocking arrows. Two of the men went and picked up a body with six arrows in it.
Everyone began looking around as though expecting an ambush.
“Tor?”
“I shot two, no more.”
A shadow moving was the only sign that was given, and that just before the man walked into the light.
“The Guild has taken interest in you, boy,”said the black-clad man. “I ask your permission to travel with you.”
“Who are you?” stated the big man.
“Who I am is of little concern now. There are two hundred lancers waiting south. They are part of Gorte’s escort.” That information produced murmurs, but the man continued without noticing. “My men are surrounding them as we speak. If we hurry we can make it in time to help.”
“Then we move,” said the white-clad man. “We would be honored to have the Guild on our side.”
As the last of the escort was being shot down, Hei ,the black-clad man, came walking up to Dual leading his horse.
“I have something for you. A gift from your father.”
“What?”
“The Guild once fought against your father. He killed half our number and the other half was forced to flee when reinforcements arrived,” stated the man as though they were talking about the weather. He handed him a heavy bundle which was wrapped by blue silk. “He had it sent to us before he died. We must go now, but we will always be near. Who knows maybe some day you can became a Night Warrior.” With that he slipped into the darkness. The others followed his example.
Dual had heard tales of the Guild being the strongest fighters in the world. He was beginning to believe the stories his father had told him. He remember his father telling him that the Guild were able to slip into dark spots and seem to vanish to the untrained eye. He said that quite a bit of their training was in stealth.
Though no one knew it, Dual was the best hunter in the village. He would go out in the middle of the night and shoot down the birds that would fly over head. No one ever noticed him because of the way he used the shadows to hide.
Tor made his way up the small hill as Dual dismounted. “I see you finally got your father’s sword,” noted Tor. “He really was a good man.”
Dual could not figure out whether the comment was supposed to comfort him; and if so, why? He didn’t think he needed to be comforted, but maybe it was just another comment. Dual didn’t have much time to think about it, because they immediately set up camp.
As he walked through the camp towards the largest cooking fire, he overheard some men saying that Gorte escaped in the first few minutes of fighting. He was intercepted by Marriless while he was passing a smaller cook fire.
“Where are you off to?”
“Well, I thought I could make myself useful by helping the cooks.”
“There is really no need, but if you insist.”
Dual was quite surprised at the answer he received. He had been expecting an argument. Though he was sure he would run into trouble, it was in the last place expected.
As Dual walked towards the head-cook, he was, once again, stopped short by a burly old man. The man did not seem sure how to react to Dual asking to help. He was saved by the head-cook coming and telling Dual to be about his own business. As Dual turned around he noticed the man’s face go a dark red.
“You should try to get used to the way you’ll be treated now,” stated a man leaning against a large oak. “They’re not quite sure whether you a lord or just some tavern chef. Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Damon. I think you could use someone to help you. I’ve been here long enough to know that Marriless has taken a liking to you, boy.” The man turned and signaled Dual to follow.
He lead him to a much smaller campfire where some of the soldiers were talking about the battle. He was beginning to wonder why he was brought here when he finally noticed that Damon was leaning over talking with a young man. The man had a top-knot, it was odd that dual should understand the hand symbols that they were using.
“Boy, what’s the parcel?” questioned the man.
“Oh, it’s my fathers sword.”
“Let’s see it.”
Dual slowly unwrapped the parcel. He then discovered what was with it, a small, black key. The sword was thick, slightly curved steel. Or, at least it looked like steel. It had a strange texture to it, almost like solid water. It was smooth and very cold, seeming to have a life of its own.
“A fine piece of thyate. I would have expected more, but...”
“Oh, be quite Pol. That key must open the Gate of Blades.”
“Well,” began Dual, “where is this Gate of Blades?”
Pol quickly put Damon just as he was opening his mouth.“You shut up, Damon. No one even knows where this Gate of Blades is. For that matter, not many people even know it exists.”
“I know who can help us, but we’ll need you, Dual, to get three of them to show us the way.”
“Do you really think the guild will help us?” Pol questioned.
“I’ll do it, but...how? I don’t know where any of them are.”
“We are always here,” said a voice from behind Dual. “I am Far, it is an honor. I am here with five others, and all six of us wish to come.”
“Don’t tell me you were going to leave the rest of us here,” said a young woman’s voice. “I am Elora and I wish to accompany you.” With that she walked into the light. She was older than Dual, but not by much. Her long brown hair shone in the firelight. “There’s quite a few rumors going around about you. Are you really Eevrin’s son? Do you know how to use a sword? Are you a member of the Night Warriors?”
“Yes, sort of, and no.”
“If you wish to get there fast we, then we must leave now,” stated Far.
“So, you are one of the legendary Night Warriors,” Elora put in quickly.
“And you are Elora Lorraine. You supposedly died in the desert ten years ago, but the Guild has been watching you. They once called you Mistress of the Seven Towers; though, after you ‘died’ the Seven Towers declared war on one another.”
“How the blazes did you know all of that?”
“I told you, we’ve been watching you,” repeated Far.
“So, you were planning on leaving everyone else wondering where you might have gone,” interrupted Marriless.
“This is no time for petty arguing. If we are to go...”Far suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, tilting his head slightly as though listening for something, he finally drew his night-black sword. “We are not alone.”
The announcement made everyone look around warily, no one even breathing loudly. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of swords being drawn. A sudden movement caught Dual’s eye, turning sharply to face a man in a cloak that seemed blacker than night.
“I would of thought the Guild would have guards placed around the camp, or at least around this fire. Oh well, you still have much to learn,” commented a smooth, young voice, it sounded on the edge of breaking into song. Though the man’s face was hidden by the his hood, Dual could have sworn the man was silently laughing. “I am Radnor. People call me the Night Watcher. Anyway, not even the Guild knows where the Gate of Blades is. The only way to get there is to find Valley of the Doomed. The Lady Amara is the only one who has been there.”
“Tor, arouse the camp. We leave for Freon now.”
“As you command, Lady Marriless,” replied Tor, who had just gotten there.
Dual watched as Tor went to wake everyone. He had a few questions for Radnor, turning to face Radnor, he saw the “what are you waiting for” look on his face.
He finally walked off to saddle his horse and be off.
2
The Path
As the morning sun made its way slowly over the mountain, the smell of bread, milk, and cheese hung heavily in the air. The caravan had to eat in the saddle, for Lady Marriless was in a hurry to get beyond the Plains of War. It was a stark and lonely place, with few trees and even less wildlife. No one felt like talking that morning, because an hour before dawn they had found a burning farm. They had decided to take time to burry the few bodies that could be scavenged.
By mid-morning, the group had passed three villages. Dual could not quite understand why anyone would want villages so close together. He carefully approached Elora, for, it seemed like she wanted to be alone. About halfway to her, a man with a friendly smile pulled up along side him.
“I am Grehan, it is an honor to meet you. You seem in need of a friend. I was like you once, young, happy, free. At least, that is what you should be. As far as I can tell, you’ve taken a liking to Elora. Ever since last night she has seemed frustrated. I just don’t understand it, why is she so mad. She won’t stop talking to herself.”
“It seems you know my name,” stated Dual. “How do you know Elora?”
“No one really ‘knows’ her, but I have oft tried to solve why she does just what she does.”
“I have a feeling you are holding something back. It is not hard to see what, you were once in love with her, weren’t you.”
“Ha, you’re quick boy; though I can’t say whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. I see you are interested in her past. Now, I’m no expert in the field, but...”
As Grehan rattled of a list of what he knew, Dual began to wonder why she would fake her death. He thought that every ruler would want their kingdom to stay together. He began to think that something, or someone, must have forced her to leave. He could not explain why he felt this way, but something told him there was more to this than he thought.
Grehan continued to talk; though, Dual was already coming up with theories for why this would happen. He did not even notice when Radnor appeared from behind a tree. That is, until Radnor threw a half eaten apple at him.
Dual could feel it hit his face, leaving a wide smear mark. “What in blazes are you doing? I was paying attention, but it seemed to have come out of nowhere. And I’m sure you’re all laughing because you thought I wasn’t paying any attention!” screamed Dual as the laughter rippled throughout the entire caravan.
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I am open for any opinions and advice one has to offer. Who knows, I might evenbe inspired to complete it.
