Hello, and welcome to the Sword of Lithra, a serial fantasy story with new segments every Saturday.
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The latest post is directly below.
I started off towards the docks, making sure to stay to the North side. I turned the final corner and gaped in astonishment at the multitudes of ships. I had seen them when had first entered town, but a view from the distance at twilight was not enough to prepare me for a close view in full daylight, with business in full swing. Ox-like creatures were hauling massive containers to and fro, and everywhere, men were calling and shouting to one another. There were more varieties of ships than I could name, and all sorts of exotic cargo from the far corners of the world.
I had to remind myself to remain conscious of my surroundings, and I checked to make sure I still had all my belongings. I did. I quickly found places to spend my small amount of money, eventually settling on a plain brass ring the vendor claimed had been salvaged from a pirate vessel, and a small loaf of bread topped with honey and nuts.
Despite all of the wonders that surrounded me, my sense of duty constantly pulled my thoughts back to Lithra, and I eventually ended up heading back to the inn an hour before the scheduled time, to be sure that I didn’t miss him. To my surprise he was already there, carefully but quickly packing our gear.
He began to answer my questions before I could ask them.
“I found what I needed much quicker than I expected to. Resca was here, not three days ago, made quite a ruckus, and left for Aci. We will leave immediately. I haven’t been this close in years, I don’t intend to let this opportunity slip.” he said, nearly finished with the packing. “I’m pleased you came back early. Another hour on the road will be greatly beneficial. Now, go saddle the horses while I take care of the bill.”
Less than half an hour later, we were riding at top traveling speed southwest towards Aci.
We reached Seu Reai by nightfall the next day. It lay downhill from us, and I could see the layout of the city clearly as we headed for the gates. The first thing I noticed was the lighthouse, lit by a piercing, white light, clearly not a fire. I wondered if it was some sort of enchantment. The city itself was walled on three sides, with the open side facing the ocean. However, the large fleet banked on either side of the city showed it was far from defenseless. Barges and fishing ships littered the extensive system of docks and wharfs. Seu Reai was an important trading city, the closest to many of the cities in Toiau, including the capital. As such, an unusually large portion of the city was filled with warehouses and lodging for travelers. We would have little trouble finding a place to stay here. Unfortunately, it also meant it could be difficult to confirm Resca’s arrival here.
As we entered the city, I couldn’t help but notice how unfamiliar the culture was. I was used to strange customs and dress from visitors to my fathers inn, but here, I was the strange one. The men wore long beards, plaited and woven with silver baubles, and most wore turbans in a variety of colors. The women wore long, flowing pantaloons and were wrapped with many layers of shawls and scarves. The smells of salt and fish hung in the air, like an oily mist. Even the stones were a dull bluish green, instead of gray.
Lithra stopped one man and spoke to him in what seemed like gibberish. This was not the precise language he used for his enchantments, nor even Tían, the primary language of Toiau, which I could identify, if not understand. Several words sounded familiar, and I then realized that this was the trader’s tongue, a hodgepodge of languages, that served as the unofficial dialect across the North Countries. The man nodded, and pointed down the street, babbling directions in the same mishmash. Lithra, apparently satisfied, tossed the man a small coin and headed off.
He stopped in front of a large two story building, marked with the universal sign for ‘lodging’, a bed shape.
“I’ll have to do my questioning tomorrow,” he said, clearly frustrated with the wait. “May as well have supper and sleep now.”
Dinner was already prepared and ready for serving, a salty soup and fish with some sort of breading. It was spicy, but I found I thoroughly enjoyed it. I retired shortly thereafter.
When I awoke the next morning, Lithra had already left. I found a note lying on his bed.
“Selane,” it said, in thick, flowing script. “I hope the various information brokers in this town know something about Resca’s whereabouts, and I have left to negotiate with them. These men are usually dangerous, and manipulative, and it is in our best interest if you are not present. As such, I have left a few coins for you to enjoy yourself with. Stay clear of the the south side of the docks, keep in the open, and leave your sword and sling. If you take your dagger, keep it hidden but close at hand, and watch out for pickpockets. Meet me here at noon, or I will assume you are in trouble. -Lithra”
It irked me slightly to be left out of the proceedings, but the prospect of half a day exploring a unknown city more than made up for the disappointment. I pocketed the coins, concealed my dagger inside my shirt, and dashed out into the streets, intent on discovery.
“Black-hearted murderer!” Lithra said, bitterly.
As planned, we had left our lodging early that morning. I had learned that we would be heading to Seu Reai, a port city to the south-east, and then most likely to Aci, the capital. Resca had apparently forced his way across the border less than a week ago, heading in that direction.
As we rode, I finally gathered the courage to ask about Resca, even though I knew the subject angered the old man. I felt I should know more about our quarry, and apparently Lithra agreed, despite his reluctance to speak on the subject.
“He’s a menace, and I don’t know how he hid it from me.” he continued. He sighed. “I suppose I hadn’t known him very long, really. Five years seems like such a long time, but it was mostly studies, long days of teaching and learning. He was found in a small village in Chiaris. His family quickly brought him to me when they realized he was an enchanter.”
A half smile crossed his face as he recalled the time. “He was a good enough student, polite, studious, quick to understand. He advanced very quickly. All was simple. That was a mistake, though. I never really pressured him, and when he turned on me, I never saw it coming. And it didn’t help that I was preoccupied creating- it.“
“That sword was a thing of beauty, my greatest work. All my skill went into, all my strength, my passion, weeks of work. It was named after me. Sa’lithra, The Sword of Lithra.” he said contemptuously. Bitterly. “Now when I hear it, all I can think of is how I failed.”
Another sigh. “I still don’t know why he did it. I think the allure was too much for him. Perhaps he felt neglected during those weeks. All I know is that the morning after it was finished, he was gone, with my great work, and nearly complete in his training.”
He halted abruptly and took several deep breaths to calm himself. Eventually, he began to quietly recount how he had chased him. From the forests of the north to the southern plains, across countries, oceans, countless days in pursuit. Sometimes he fell hopelessly behind, other times he would find himself miraculously close, even sighting him a few times. It was never enough. Resca was always ahead, learning more of his craft, forging alliances, gathering power, and slowly, his deeds grew darker. It had started as a simple theft, but over more than two decades of chase, Lithra could only follow the aftermath of destruction. He had found entire villages destroyed by his one-time apprentice, and he knew he could no longer hope to tackle him on his own. Resca was a young man, reaching the height of his physical power, and Lithra was slowly entering his old age. He had found companions, three of them before me. Eventually, they had all died or been driven off.
I could see the sorrow pulling him down in the saddle, and I noticed the way his typical imperious tone and manner of speech declined as the tragedy hit too close to his heart. It was a long ride, and a weary subject, at when we finally made camp, I was glad to hear the end of it.
I awoke the next morning able to function. Although the information was lodged in my head, I was now able to think of other things. Still, though, I knew somehow, that I was permanently changed by the experience. Now I knew war, and combat. I felt somehow wearier of the world, and yet more secure in it.
I picked up the saber and buckled it to my side. I had the unnerving feeling of being familiar with a weapon I had never actually handled. The remainder of the day was fairly uneventful. Lithra said nearly nothing, wisely giving me time to sort my newfound information. I was feeling nearly back to normal when finally spotted the border late that afternoon.
•••
We came into sight of the stronghold shortly afterwards. We had crossed the border without difficulty. Lithra had had a quiet word with one of the guards, and the bridge was quickly lowered for us. Enchanters, being both rare and powerful, tended to acquire a lot of high level contacts, he explained. He had little difficulty crossing borders or having favors granted, even in countries that would normally be hostile to Mitherians.
The castle itself loomed over the landscape, dark and imposing. Jeieu was on an island of sorts, as the river split around it and rejoined further down. The majority of the river was impassible, and Jeieu marked the only major crossing point for miles. The island and accompanying fortress had belonged to Mithere nearly 90 years ago, until Toiau had overrun the isle, capturing the fortress, but were stopped at the river. It had been theirs ever since. We headed up towards the castle, situated on top of the hill that made up most of the island.
Finally we arrived at the gates, and Lithra moved through confidently. I was beginning to notice how he always seemed to domineer his surroundings, entirely self-confident. He was a man who knew he was powerful, and liked it.
“We won’t be staying long,” he said, interrupting my observations. “We’ll find a room for the night, and leave first thing in the morning.”
A bell tolled as the suns last rays faded, and I heard the gates close behind us.
Lithra had me practice with the sling for a while. I had some experience with the sling, but I was far from accomplished. I could generally hit a target from 50 paces, but clearly I needed practice.
Behind me, Lithra was chanting insistently. He held his sword in one hand, and the saber in the other.
“I have never studied swordsmanship,” he had told me, “but thanks to this, I don’t have to, and neither will you.” He went on to explain that the knowledge of dozens of expert warriors had been imbedded into his sword. He would duplicate the spell onto my own sword. When I held it, I would instantly have all the knowledge and experience of skilled soldiers.
This would not, however, excuse me from practice. While the knowledge would be there, conditioning myself to use it would require constant training, developing the reflexes and instincts I would need.
Finally, he finished, closing with a few particularly forceful syllables. I guessed this had been a difficult enchantment. Sheathing his own sword, he presented the saber to me. I hesitated.
“Go ahead,” he said. “It’s a big responsibility, but you’ll need it when we finally confront Resca. The sword he stole has similar enchantments on it.”
I slowly wrapped my fingers around the black, ridged leather handle, then fell to my knees as a thousand memories of a hundred different battles rushed into my head. Too much, far too many memories to take in. Swords, shields, the unending din of metal on metal, the screams of dying men, flying around my head. I felt the jarring crash of the swords, spears, a dozen different weapons in my hand, heavy breathing in cramped helmets, all of wild and bloody war condensed to a single point.
Slowly, I began to recover. The memories faded as my mind realized they belonged to someone else, and gradually I got ahold of myself.
Lithra helped me regain my feet. “The first time is the hardest,” he said, clearly familiar with the feeling. “You are now the only person that can access the knowledge contained in the spell.”
“Why’s that?” I managed to ask through ragged breaths. Thoughts of battle were still echoing in my head.
“The one Resca has was intended to be passed down from generation to generation, with each heir adding his experience to the sword. I left the spell open to anyone that touched it, but unfortunately Resca himself proved it was too dangerous. Now I take precautions.”
I nodded, then found my eyelids were closing of their own accord.
“Sleep now.” the enchanter said. “The shock will wear off by morning.”
He barely managed to guide me to my bedroll before I collapsed into a deep sleep, filled the shadows of conflicts past.
The following morning, we departed from Waygate as quickly as we could manage. We ate hastily and gathered our things. Lithra was in a hurry to be on the road, partly, I suspect, because he didn’t want to be troubled about last night’s affairs. It took us nearly a half hour to escape the crowded streets, as merchants rushed to display their wares.
When we finally escaped the city, Lithra informed me that we would cut through Fernhead Forest instead of following the roads, as this would allow us to cut nearly a day off of our traveling time. We had not traveled far before I saw the dark line of trees that marked the forest boundaries, and by mid-afternoon, we had reached the trees.
Majestic oaks and elms dominated the forest, interspersed with thinner saplings and the occasional conifer. The ground was littered with dead leaves and the broad ferns for which the forest was named. As we entered, I felt profoundly reverent, as if I had entered some sort of chapel or shrine. The thud of the horses hooves provided a monotonous beat, occasionally punctuated by the trill of a bird. The still majesty of my surroundings and the simple motion of the horse beneath me combined to produce a trance-like effect. Time seemed to have halted at the borders of the forest, In fact, when Lithra finally interrupted my reverie, I was surprised to find that it was nearly evening.
I was stiff as I left the saddle. Lithra merely laughed.
“It’ll be a while before you toughen up enough to spend a day in the saddle without feeling it.” he said. I noticed he was still limber, as he opened that peculiar tent again.
“Would you tell me about those thunderstones?” I asked. I had been fascinated by the stones ever since I had seen them, and especially after last nights altercation. I had intended to ask during our ride, but the sight of the forest had driven it from my mind.
Lithra explained as I set up a fire. “As I told you a few days ago, spells must have an object to build on. It is possible to construct a brief ‘loose’ enchantment, but it is always easier, safer, and more reliable to build off of a base. Rocks are an excellent choice, as they are free, plentiful, and generally hold up well to the pressures most spells exert on them. Enchanting rocks with various basic spells is common practice among enchanters, and they are the most common magical items you will find.”
He dug out a small rock and held it up. It was flat and partially translucent, much like volcanic glass, or a clear piece of flint. It was deep crimson, but when it caught the light, it seemed to flicker and glow like a flame. “This is a Blazing Stone. As you can see,” he said, touching it to the finished stack of wood, “It contains a very simple spell creating fire.”
He barked another of those foreign words, and a rush of flames enveloped the pile of sticks. “There are several different varieties.” he said, and pulled out several. Most of them were unfamiliar, but I recognized a couple of those that he held out namely, the thunderstones, and one that appeared to be the same type he had given my father back at the inn. From what he told my father, I supposed that it must posses a chilling or freezing spell.
“These are what you will be using in your sling.” he continued. “With them, you will be able to disable or kill an opponent with just a small stone. So, with that in mind, it is time to start practicing.”
I called out to Lithra, but a hand was already clamped over my mouth. That eliminated the possibility that this was a city guard. I struggled to get free, but my assailant stuck his knee into my kidneys, and I doubled over. He dragged me into a small space between buildings and threw me down.
“Lets see what you have here,” said the thief. The only thing seedier than his voice was his face, which bore scars and faded bruises, doubtless from previous unlawful encounters. He quickly pulled my weapons off me and began to rummage through my pack. I tried to call out again, but when he saw me take a breath, to do so, he walloped me across the face. ”Feisty one, aintcha?” Apparently satisfied with his catch, he stood.
“Don’t know how a kid like you got so many pretties, but I thank you for the favor.” he said, sneering. Several of his teeth were missing.
“LITHRA!” I finally managed to yell.
“Ooh, that’s gonna cost you, dearie.” he said, and drawing a vicious dagger, began to move towards me..
“Neri, is it?” came a welcome voice. “Kyl’Cie Aten!”
The thief froze where he stood. I recalled the feeling from my first encounter with the enchanter. I could almost pity him.
Lithra spoke a few more unfamiliar words, and the thief was bodily hurled into the ground. Several uncomfortable cracking noises accompanied this action, and I winced.
“I really don’t have time to waste on such people,” Lithra said, quickly retrieving our stolen items from the brigand. “So I’ll leave him here. Perhaps this incident will convince him to find a more lawful means of employment.”
He began to walk down the street again, as if nothing had happened. I followed immediately, holding my side where the man had kneed me.
“He was lucky he did not harm you further. You have not yet seen me vexed, and it would be well if you did not have to.” Lithra said, looking forward steadfastly. “However, his companion is sneaking up behind us, so if you don’t mind…” he said and handed me all of our items other than the sling. I watched as he subtly slipped a small black stone into the pouch. Could that be a…
In a flurry of motion, Lithra turned and launched the small rock towards a dark shape emerging from the shadows, a bow in his hands.
“Drosé Etru!” he said, and the the rock sparked blue as a it arced towards its target. It made a small clink as it bounced off of the man’s tough leather jerkin, almost immediately followed by an enormous clap of thunder and a vivid flash. His eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed, armor blackened and smoking.
“Now, let’s go get some rest,” the enchanter said. “You’ll need it.”
I followed as well as I could, still looking back at the two beaten men lying on the ground.
We stepped through the short corridor that separated the front from the main storage room. It was guarded by a pair of thick iron-enforced oak doors.
The guard opened the door, and ushered us inside. A series of tables and racks filled with melee weapons dominated tthe middle of the room, and the walls were covered with a variety of bows and other long distance weapons. Waygate was a large city to be this close to the border, and protected the Sentinel Watchtower as well. The armory certainly reflected that. Spears, bows, swords, maces, others I couldn’t even name filled the simple room. I stared at the assortment of weapons, visions of battlefield glory filling my head.
“What exactly were you looking for?” asked Weph. Lithra looked slowly over the room, then headed for the back corner, and pulled out a sword. The design was unfamiliar to me. The blade was more slender than a regular sword, but thicker than a rapier. The whole thing had a slight curve, with one cutting edge along the outside curve, and a shorter one along the bottom of the inside. The hilt curved, and tapered up on one side, and down on the other. I took it carefully. It was lighter than I had expected. It seemed hardy enough, though.
“Where in the name of Eitra did you get an Avian saber?” asked Lithra.
Weph shrugged. “A smuggler came through here a few years back. They confiscated it when they finally caught him. Nobody in the guard knows how to use it, though. You can feel free to take it off our hands.”
Lithra nodded, then picked up the scabbard and handed it to me as well.
“Now, the boy will need a long-range weapon as well.” he said, and I looked over to the wall that held the large assortment of bows. I was surprised when, instead, he opened a box behind me and pulled out a leather sling.
“A sling?” I asked, incredulously. “What good is that? Wouldn’t a bow be better?”
“Trust me.” he said. I decided to bide my time. He must have something planned. Lithra then quickly picked out a leather hauberk roughly my size and a long hunting knife, then told the captain that would be all. After retrieving his sword, we headed back for the inn.
We were almost there when a rough hand seized me from behind, and wrenched the sword from my hands.
“Well, what’s a boy like you doing with such a pretty toy, eh?”
Lithra opened the door and stepped confidently into the town armory. The two guards in the front room promptly rose from their seats and blocked the entrance to the back room.
“Name and business here, sir?” the older one asked, his voice gruff but not angry. He was clearly the one in charge of the facility. He glanced briefly at the sword at Lithra’s side, and casually moved his own grip closer the to the handle to his own weapon.
“My name is Lithra. I wish to purchase some of your equipment.” he answered casually.
“Not for sale.” the guard replied, terse now. “These items are the property of the King.”
“I have something a worth a good deal more than money, and a sight rarer.” Lithra said, pulling a small bag seemingly out of nowhere. “You look like you’ve seen a few campaigns. Do you recognize these?”
The captain slowly reached into the sack and pulled out a small rock. It was black as midnight, except for the vivid blue that flickered deep inside it.
“What is it, Weph?” asked his younger companion, clearly stumped.
“A Thunderstone!” the captain said, reverentially. His brow furrowed as he focused on it, and suddenly a shower of sparks burst from his hand. He laughed as both I and his younger companion leapt back, startled.
“They work all right.” he said. “Friend of mine had a couple back when we had all that border trouble a few years back. These would be very useful in our defenses…”
Lithra looked at him expectantly. “There’s fifteen in there,” he said. “More than enough for what I want.”
“Where’d you get these?” he asked suspiciously. “You- you’re not an enchanter, are you?”
In response, Lithra chanted a few words. The Thunderstones began to circle one another in mid-air, small forks of lightning crackling between them.
Finally the older man nodded. “Very well. You have yourself a deal. Now, if you’ll just leave the stones and your weapon with Dhelris here, we see what we can do for you.”
