I
Krow

Anstrom paced the floor of the chamber in which he had spent almost every hour of the ten weeks that he had been at the king’s ancestral fortress. As he paced, he talked incessantly to the creatures that he had men gather for his experiments, and the creatures only stared at him, as he ranted about how badly his progress was going. As he finished his current tirade, he grabbed the leather-bound book of incantations he brought with him from Avnadele, found another spell that cryptically claimed it could grant a type of immortality by freeing a being’s soul, and decided to try it.
Anstrom cleared his throat and recited the words of an ancient language, one whose original speakers he knew had long since faded into the mists of memory. He concentrated on the white hare he had chosen as his subject for this particular experiment, and it started to glow, as he got halfway through the incantation. Unfortunately, when he was finished the hare began to writhe and cry in pain, as its flesh began to sizzle and its hair began to curl and blacken. Less than a minute later, it cried its last breath, as its skin split open to reveal the charred, mutilated flesh beneath.
Anstrom stared at the smoking pile of flesh in amazement and muttered to himself, “It would appear this spell frees the soul by destroying the body in a particularly painful fashion.” He then shook his head saying, “I am sure I could find a use for it, but it is not what I require for my current purposes.” With a sigh, he pulled loose a chunk of the blackened meat and hesitantly placed it in his mouth. After chewing and swallowing the piece of meat, he said to himself in an amused tone, "At least I’ll not have to tell a servant to bring me food for a while." Then as he reached for another piece, he heard a rapping at his door, which continued to get louder. Muttering a curse under his breath, he walked towards the sound. "Who is at my door?" he asked impatiently.
"Your king is at your door, and he wishes to have words with you."
Anstrom muttered something profane in one of the many languages he knew and opened the door. "How may I be of service to you, my Master?" he asked humbly.
The king's nose twitched, as the smell of burnt hare drifted through the open doorway. "Are you cooking something in there?” He took another sniff, and then said, “It is of no importance if you are. I was just going to ask if you would see the queen, and try to improve her condition."
Anstrom thought of the spell he had just tried, but cast that thought from his mind. "I will do as you ask immediately."
"Splendid," said King Malifesh happily.
Anstrom followed King Malifesh through the hallways of the fortress and stopped at a large wooden door. The king opened the door and told Anstrom to enter, which Anstrom did somewhat reluctantly. He saw the queen upon a bed against one wall, and he noticed she was still smiling, though her eyes remained closed. Anstrom kneeled beside her and said a few words in a variety of languages he knew the king could not understand. After he had finished his litany of nonsense, he turned to the king. "I can do nothing more for her. She must do this part of the healing on her own."
King Malifesh nodded slowly. "I am sorry to have disturbed you."
Anstrom smiled as politely as he could manage and left. He returned to his chamber and returned to his work of finding a spell that would do what he wished without causing any permanent damage.

º º º º º

Krow rose from his bed, stretched a couple of times, and then began to pull on his clothes. He selected clothes made of sturdy leather, since he didn‘t know what kind of danger he might face after leaving the ship, and he pulled them on as quickly as possible. Then he walked over towards a large sack in the corner of his cabin, and removed a vest of mail from the sack, which he pulled on over his tunic. Satisfied that his mobility was not hampered by his choice of clothing, he began to grab his weapons, starting with his trusty axe. He debated momentarily over procuring a shield or some weapons that would give him greater range, but decided to stick with his usual combination of sword, dagger, and axe, since it was what he was most comfortable with.
He checked to make sure his sword and dagger were loose enough in their sheathes to be drawn quickly, then he left his cabin, and went straight to the hold to find his horse. It did not take him long to reach his horse, and as he gazed upon the magnificent black stallion, who was named Wotan, he thought back for a moment to defeating the man who used to own the horse. He remembered how he lost his own horse in the fight, which prompted him to steal his fallen adversary‘s steed, and he remembered happily claiming the stallion as his own, along with his opponent‘s arms and armour. He pushed the memory aside, and quickly saddled Wotan. Then, after making sure all of his gear was on Wotan, he led the horse up a ramp and onto the deck. Then he had a cabin boy go below and spread the word that all of his men were supposed to join him on the deck immediately, and by the time the boat docked at a small fishing wharf less than a mile from Harrvall, they had finished assembling before their leader. While some of the crewmen lowered the anchor, and a few more readied a gangplank to lower down to the wharf, the warriors rushed off to finish their preparations for leaving. When the ship finally came to rest near the dock, Krow thanked the captain and told the men under his command to follow him.
As they rode down the gangplank and onto the wharf, Krow issued instructions for his men to ride to the top of the hill that overlooked Harrvall, and to wait there for his return. They followed his command without question, and rode towards the hill, as Krow rode off towards Harrvall.
Krow crossed the border of the small town and rode down the nearly empty streets, straight towards The Arrow. As he approached the inn, he saw many horses bearing the emblem of King Malifesh, and an idea came to him. Krow rode to the front of the inn, dismounted, and told Wotan to stay where he was. Then he quickly unbuckled the saddles on each horse marked with the king’s emblem. Satisfied with what he’d done, he walked towards the entrance to the inn, and noticing that Vega’s horse was nowhere around, he wondered where his friend might be. Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed that the sign instructing everyone to leave their weapons outside was gone and one detailing a curfew was in its place.
Once inside, he noticed the inn was filled with loud people, most of them soldiers. He ignored them as he passed, and they appeared equally oblivious to his presence, except when it became necessary to shoulder his way past one of them. Krow reached the bar and found Vega mixing a drink. "Let us leave this place, my friend. It has become overrun with vermin, and very noisy vermin at that,” he declared loud enough for his friend to hear over the noise.
Vega looked up and grinned weakly. "I've an inn to keep in business, and that means I cannot leave until after my customers have left." He put a mug of beer in front of Krow without waiting for his friend to ask for something to drink.
"I disagree with you. Only half of this inn is yours, and you shouldn't have to deal with all of the problems." Krow hoisted the mug of beer and drained it in a few gulps, then he set the empty mug on the bar and said, "You should be with your family instead of here serving these fools your impressive brews."
Just then a man burst through the door, and forced his way through the drunken soldiers. As he made his way up to the bar some of them cursed at him, but he ignored them, as he forced his way towards Vega. When he reached the bar, he breathlessly declared, "There is smoke beyond the trees. It appears near to your home."
Vega dropped the drink he was mixing, before effortlessly leaping over the bar and running towards the door. A soldier who stood in his way was knocked over, and he hit the floor swearing vividly. When Vega got outside he remembered that he had to spend the last few nights in one of the rooms above the inn and Attilla had led his horse home when she left a few days before.
Krow stepped out through the doors and declared, "You can ride with me.” He then mounted his horse and gestured behind him.
Vega nodded and climbed onto the horse behind Krow. "Let us hurry. My home may be on fire at this very moment."
“Let us hope that’s not true," Krow said, as he put his heels to Wotan’s flanks and they galloped down the street, the horse effortlessly carrying Vega’s additional weight.

When they neared their destination, the first thing they saw were flames leaping towards the sky, as they devoured the buildings in the large clearing. Barn doors were kicked open and horses started galloping away from the flames as fast as their four legs would carry them. Vega saw this, and leapt from Wotan’s back, while shouting for Krow to get water. He ran inside his home and looked around frantically for any sign that his wife and child were still inside. Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his arm and spin him around. His eyes met briefly with the eyes of a stranger, and then he was thrown backwards onto the kitchen table.
He skidded across the surface of the table, and as he hit the floor, he saw the stranger, whose uniform marked him as a soldier, drawing a long knife from a sheath. The soldier rushed towards him, and Vega grabbed a chair to use as a shield. The blade glanced off the edge of the chair and grazed Vega's arm, splitting skin and causing blood to trickle. Vega dropped the chair and leapt to his feet, but he soon was dodging out of the way, as the knife was again swung towards him, falling back in the process and knocking a rack off of the wall. The soldier feinted with his knife, and then punched Vega in the face with sufficient force to knock him to the floor.
Vega struck the floor, and his vision blurred for a moment upon impact. When his vision cleared, he saw that the soldier was now over top of him, getting ready to deliver a killing blow. As the knife came down, Vega grabbed the soldier’s wrist to keep the blade from reaching him. The soldier tried to use his own weight to force the knife down, and Vega knew that he could resist for only so long, so he used his other hand to find something to help him. He ran his hand across the floor and felt his fingers touch something solid, and then he wrapped his fingers around what he had found. Not wanting to waste another moment, he swung his arm up and struck the soldier in the side of the head as hard as he could manage from his position.
The soldier launched to his feet and blood sprayed from a wound on the side of his head where his right ear once was, and Vega realised that he had grabbed a cleaver that fell when he upset the rack. He rose to his feet clutching the bloody cleaver, and he saw the knife coming towards him again. Time seemed to slow for him, as his warrior's instincts kicked in for the first time since before his son was born, and he began moving without thought, letting instinct guide his movements. He easily dodged the knife, ducking low to split open the soldier’s stomach, before coming back up and planting the blade of the cleaver deep in the side of the soldier's neck. Before he had time to stop and think about what had just happened, however, he heard the sound of a blade clearing a leather sheath. He ducked, as a sword cut the air where his head had been moments ago, and he grabbed the knife that the other soldier had dropped. From the feel of the weapon, he knew it was a knife designed for fighting, and the width and angle of the guards reinforced that theory. He turned quickly, as another swing was taken, and he caught the sword’s blade on one of the guards. The soldier tried to push the sword down, but using his superior size and strength, Vega pushed the soldier’s blade away, and then he closed the distance between them before the soldier could bring his weapon back into play. He drove his fist into the soldier’s stomach, making him double over, and then he slammed his fist down into the base of the soldier‘s skull. As the soldier fell to the floor, knocked senseless or perhaps dead, Vega went deeper into the house to retrieve something he knew he would now need.

Outside, Krow was throwing water at the burning house, and using his axe to break off chunks of burning wood to keep the fire from spreading. His efforts he soon realised were in vain, as the flames leapt ever higher. He looked around, and saw Vega running out of the house carrying a large wooden chest on his back. Over the noise of the crackling flame, he heard Vega telling him to give up on the house and to follow him.
Krow placed his axe back in its loop on his belt. "Why do you want me to give up on the house?" he asked, though he knew trying to save it would be futile at this point.
Vega dropped the chest onto the ground before replying, "The inside is too badly burned to remain standing, and I can always build another house." He opened the lid of the chest and pulled out a bundle of clothes. From within the bundle he pulled a hauberk, a black and red tunic, and a long object wrapped in leather. He quickly donned the hauberk and tunic before unrolling the leather to reveal a sword he’d not looked on since a few months before his son was born, over five years ago.
Krow stared at him, puzzled by the sudden change in his friend's attitude, and saw a dark bruise beginning to form on the side of Vega's head. "What happened in there, Vega? The side of your head is bruised."
"It is nothing of importance." Vega picked up a belt and the sheath containing his sword, which he wrapped around his waist.
"I thought you hung up your sword years ago," commented Krow, with a bit of concern in his voice.
"The soldiers have taken Ebon and Attilla from me, and I am going to get them back at any cost." He whistled and a large black horse trotted over to him, which he quickly saddled. "You may join me if you like, Krow, but do not try to stop me." Vega leapt onto the horse and raised his sword above his head. He let loose the loud howl of a man possessed with the battle-rage typical among men born in the Northern Lands.
Feeling a stirring in his breast from the thought of Ebon and Attilla being taken prisoner, Krow leapt onto his own horse, and they followed the trail of the soldiers who recently left the clearing. Based on the number of separate tracks, Krow estimated that eight soldiers caused the fire and took captive Vega's family. He looked around as they entered a small forest, and he pulled the axe from his belt. Under his breath, Krow muttered, "Just like things used to be."

Vega rode silently, as he watched the hoof prints on the ground. He saw that they split apart a few feet ahead, and he told Krow to take the left set of tracks. Without waiting for Krow to say anything, Vega rode off to the right. He ducked under branches, and each breath he took becomes deeper than the last, as he noticed the tracks getting fresher. He raised his sword, as he saw more tracks join the ones he was following. In the distance, he heard talking and his heels dug into his horse's flanks. The animal responded immediately and launched forward.
Vega burst from the trees and into the centre of a small camp, where two soldiers were pulling down a hide tent. They looked at him in surprise, and before their weapons could clear their sheathes, he leapt from his horse, and attacked them with an almost feral viciousness. With each stroke his blade spilled blood, and the confrontation was ended nearly as quickly as it had begun. Once the last soldier fell, Vega saw that Ebon and Attilla were nowhere to be seen, and so he rode back into the forest without another glance at the men he had just killed.

Krow followed the tracks until he came upon a tall man standing in the centre of a clearing, with a pair of dead soldiers in pools of blood to either side of him. The man was dressed all in black with a black hat pulled down far enough to hide his features. Nestled in the man’s long arms was Ebon, and the young boy seemed unharmed, which brought Krow much happiness. The man gently placed the child on the ground, and then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
Once he recovered from his surprise at the man’s disappearance, Krow leapt from his horse and yelled, "You are welcome at our fire when you have need of it." Despite being deep in the woods, Krow didn't even hear birds, and he knew that the tall man who rescued Ebon was none other than the man known as Stavros the Slayer. Certain that Stavros left no soldiers alive in the immediate area, Krow kneeled down to check on Ebon, since the boy didn’t seem to be stirring. He found a slow and steady heartbeat, and then he picked up a familiar herbal smell on the boy’s breath that told him he had been drugged, likely to make it easier to transport him. As quickly as possible, he went over to his horse and removed a couple of things from one of his saddlebags. Without hesitation, he mixed a few herbs and some water inside a metal cup he always carried with him, and poured it into Ebon’s mouth. As the boy began to swallow the mixture, Krow heard something crashing through the trees, and turned around with his axe ready, protectively clutching Ebon close to his chest.
After a few more seconds of noise, Vega rode into the clearing. "I see you’ve found Ebon," he commented.
Krow nodded, as he gently lifted the child up so Vega could take him. "To be perfectly honest, it was not I who found him."
"Who found him if it were not you?"
"Stavros."
Vega stopped breathing for a moment, as he heard the name being spoken. "I've not seen him for a long time."
Krow nodded. "Few alive have seen him more than once. Either way, I can easily tell this is his work." Krow pointed at the two soldiers lying dead on the ground. "They didn't even have a chance to draw their weapons before he killed them."
“Why does he not react to my touch?” Vega asked, as he pushed some stray hairs from Ebon’s forehead.
“They drugged him,” Krow replied with a solemn tone. “I gave him something that should bring him out of his stupor.”
Vega held Ebon tightly. "At least my son still lives, but I must find my Attilla."
Krow pointed at some tracks that led away from the encampment. "I am guessing she is wherever those tracks lead." He mounted Wotan quickly, but then he patiently waited for his friend to start leading the way.
Vega tightened his grip on Ebon, as he made his horse move in the direction of the tracks. Behind him he heard Krow, and he remembered riding with Krow in a past he had decided to try to forget when he chose to start a family.
The tracks turned after a short distance, leading towards what Vega knew to be a small hill, and after less than a minute they exited the trees and began going up the hill. Vega saw three horses ahead of him, and as the distance closed he noticed that two of the horses were being ridden by soldiers and the third horse, which was between the soldiers, was carrying someone bound with ropes. Recognising the person in the middle as Attilla, Vega let loose a war cry and rode down the hill. The sounds of hooves followed him and he knew that Krow was still riding at his back. Vega saw one of the soldiers look back, and then shout something to his comrade. The other soldier looked back, and then they both began to increase their speed, tugging the reins of the horse in the middle to make it match their speed. Vega increased his own speed, and without looking back, he knew that Krow was doing the same.

Sitting atop the hill overlooking Harrvall, the army under the command of Krow waited. They saw two soldiers and a woman go over the hill a few metres away, and then saw a man astride a large horse, who was holding a child. Going over the hill close behind they saw Krow, his long black hair flapping in the wind, as it pulled loose from the leather thong that held it in place. He was holding his axe above his head and yelling something unintelligible. The man at the front of the column of warriors told the rest to follow him and he rode after Krow. Over fifty men on horses charged behind their chosen leader down the hill and across a flat expanse of land. The man in front pulled out his sabre, and those behind him drew their own weapons. One of the men in front raised the crow's head standard, and it flapped wildly in the wind.

The soldier to the right of Attilla looked back, and saw that the number of people behind him had increased many times over. He yelled and urged his horse to go faster, as the other soldier did the same. He slapped the rump of the horse bearing the prisoner, and it too increased speed once more.

Krow heard what sounded like thunder behind him and looked back. He saw his entire army following him with their weapons drawn, and he laughed at how the soldiers being followed must now feel. He reached back with his free hand and unbound his hair the rest of the way, letting it fly freely in the wind. Then he placed the leather thong in a pouch on his saddle, and added on the speed in an attempt to keep up with Vega.

Vega saw that the soldiers had ridden down a hill towards a mine, which he knew had been closed down years ago after a cave-in, and he made his horse slow down. Ahead he saw the soldiers stop and dismount, as they realised their mistake. He slid back, as he moved Ebon forward and handed him the reins. "Hold on tight to Brand‘s reins, Ebon, and he’ll protect you," said Vega, as he leaned back until he rolled off the back of his horse. He landed on his feet, as Brand kept moving with Ebon on his back, and he rushed towards the soldiers with sword ready and a battle cry on his lips.

Krow stopped and signalled his men to do the same. He felt the vibrations lessen, as all of the horses stopped moving a few at a time. He whistled and Vega's horse obediently walked towards him. Gently, he lifted Ebon from the saddle and held him in his arms, as the boy began to ask questions.
"Everything will be fine. Your father will win this fight." He held Ebon tight and felt small hands gripping him equally tight. Krow did his best to cover the boy's eyes, so he would not see the slaughter that Krow knew Vega would now partake in.

Vega struck the first soldier he reached, and gutted him with a powerful slash that almost split the man in two. Vega, however, still took the time for a second slice to remove the soldier's head. As the first soldier fell, Vega rushed towards the next. His first attack was dodged, his second was blocked, and when he tried for a third he was struck in the face with the flat of a blade. He felt blood ooze from his mouth, but it only served to increase his already extraordinary rage. His vision clouded, as he launched his attack, and he kept striking long after his opponent was literally disarmed. He hacked apart the soldier with anger guiding each stroke, until he was brought back from his rage by Attilla yelling his name. As he realised what he was doing, his sword fell from his hand. Then as Attilla walked towards him, he dropped to his knees and wept uncontrollably.
Attilla kneeled in front of Vega, placed her hands on his strong shoulders, and pulled him close. "You must remember who you are now, and put behind you who you once were. This will pass as it did before."
Krow rode over and dismounted. He gripped Ebon close to his chest, as though he were his own child, and said, "He will be fine after he gets rid of his rage. I learned that many years ago."
Attilla nodded, though she only partially heard Krow's words. "I remember when this would happen, and those few times I witnessed it I was always scared of what he might do. Though, in truth, I thought this had ended when Ebon was born."
"You and Ebon were all he had and he thought you lost. That is what caused this rage,” said Krow with a sympathetic tone, as he lowered Ebon to the ground, but he waited until the boy managed to maintain his balance before releasing his grip.
Attilla whispered to her husband, as he rested his head on her shoulder, and she stopped acknowledging Krow‘s presence.
Sensing that Attilla didn’t want him around, Krow left them alone and went to speak with his warriors. "Who gave the order to ride?" he asked with a bit of amusement in his voice.
"I did." A muscular man of medium height, with olive skin and exotic features, stepped down from his horse. He sheathed his curved sword without looking down at his scabbard, as he walked over to Krow.
"And you are?" asked Krow.
With his head held high, the warrior replied, "Camoon Dovar, at your service."
"Why did you give the order to ride?"
"We are to follow you, and you told us to await your return on the hill. You came up one side of the hill and down the other, so I thought you would want us at your back."
Krow nodded. "A good reason, but I did not require your help. I will admit that your following probably ended the chase sooner than it would have ended had you not followed me." Krow walked away from Camoon and over towards Vega. He noticed that Vega had regained his natural state of being. "Vega, would you and your family like to join us? Our next destination is Drexell, and I’m sure that Ellix will give you a place to stay and anything else you might need."
Vega looked at Attilla and Ebon. "Would Ellix still have control of his city?"
"I doubt that anyone Anstrom hired would be willing to risk a full-scale assault on Drexell, so it would be the safest place for you since your home was put to the torch."
Attilla's eyes got wide and she stared at Vega. "Our home is gone?"
“It is.” Vega took Attilla's hand in his own. "There was nothing I could do to save it, even with Krow's help. I think it would be best to go with him to Drexell."
Attilla nodded in agreement. "Then we will go."
Ebon ran over to Krow, almost falling down in the process, and said, "Pick me up again, Uncle Bird. Pick me up, please."
Krow lifted Ebon up and put him on his shoulders. "Are you happy now?"
"Yes, Uncle Bird." Ebon giggled joyfully, as he looked at everything from high atop Krow's shoulders. Then he asked to be put down again, and once his feet were on the ground, he ran back over to his parents.
Krow smiled and quickly mounted his horse. Then he gave the order for everyone to mount up. Once that order was followed they set off for Drexell.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 25.05.2009

Alle Rechte vorbehalten