Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) (14 page)

"Maybe I can finally be of use", interjected
Erendil.

Raxxil chuckled heartily, patting the towrth
hard on the back. "Well, shit. It's about time!" The force of
Raxxil’s hand caused Erendil to stumble forward, though the archer
was able to regain his composure and catch himself before falling
face-first into the ground.

The agile towrth returned a disapproving hiss
before walking closer to Serraemas. "On our ride here, I started to
feel a strange sensation. Initially, it drew me in the same
direction that we traveled, but I could not understand it." Erendil
then pointed into the forest. "However, I began to realize what it
was. I can sense sources of dark element. Perhaps it is in the same
manner as Tarla does."

And there it is.

"What of your elemental?" Serraemas asked
inquisitively. "Have you spoken to it?"

Erendil shook his head. "Nothing at all, but I
do now feel another presence, albeit weakly."

"That's fine at the moment", assured Serraemas.
He nodded and gestured for Erendil to take point. "For now, lead
the way."

Erendil paused before shifting his stance and
moving forward toward the line of trees. Serraemas felt something
different about the towrth as he passed. Unsealing his elemental
would obviously make him stronger, but there seemed to be something
else to it. At first, Erendil had been a blank slate, like a child
that had yet to experience the world. Now, Serraemas wasn't so sure
what lay inside.

Serraemas looked over at Raxxil.

The fiery elementalist smiled and gave him a
thumbs up encouragingly, and Serraemas guessed the gesture was in
regards to Erendil. Raxxil then pointed at the collection of mounts
that were awaiting command. "What are we going to do about the
dogs?"

Serraemas looked at the beasts. They seemed to
have grown on the trio, and were much more docile compared to their
first encounter. Unfortunately, if they were to travel to other
places of population, then hellish, burning hounds would raise
unnecessary questions and complications. He was sure that Tarla
already missed them, anyway.

"We travel on foot from now on", Serraemas said,
and Raxxil nodded in agreement. Serraemas walked to the beasts as
they sat waiting on their hind legs patiently. He petted each, then
whistled and sent them off.

Raxxil moved after Erendil, leaving Serraemas to
be last.

It was quiet except for the sound of leaves
rustling under their footfalls. It seemed as though the nightly
animals were too scared to reveal themselves, and had quieted and
vanished from sight completely.

The traveling elementalists continued on their
way through the dense forest while Erendil used his newfound sense
to guide them. Though missing the strange fauna and flora that
inhabited Cursewood, Farrin Forest still had its peculiarities and
its vastness; without proper navigation, one could get lost quite
easily.

Erendil charged forward with purpose as they
traversed across the unsteady terrain, and both Raxxil and
Serraemas followed swiftly. The forest contained a variety of hills
and obstacles, though they still managed to traverse the terrain
without much difficulty. It had been quite a while since they first
entered the forest, and there still were no signs of any wild
animals. Perhaps their target was the cause, or maybe something
else entirely that was scaring them away. Serraemas and the others
would have to be ready for any traps that lay waiting; he was
certain that the enemy was wary of his own wanted presence,
especially considering that Jorne had already fought with him.

Erendil stopped abruptly, gesturing for them to
halt. They stopped just before a large clearing. The towrth then
turned to Serraemas and lifted his arm, pointing ahead. "That is
where the energy originates from."

Serraemas walked past the archer into the
clearing and inspected the devastation that lay before him. A
spectacular battle had occurred here. There were several spots
where grass was all but gone, exposing the brown, disturbed soil
underneath. There were also several deep depressions scattered
throughout the area that appeared as though a bladed weapon had
struck the ground many times. It hadn't been a quick and decisive
battle.

Serraemas continued to walk toward the center of
the clearing. He noticed something that was lying on the ground,
and carefully treaded to it. Upon inspecting it, he discovered that
it was a broken axe completely split in two. It was Jorne's weapon.
The remnants of it, at least.

The other two had followed behind Serraemas, and
he met them with a stern expression. Raxxil cursed under his
breath, understanding the situation. The scaly-skinned archer,
however, was unaware of what it meant, and looked at Serraemas
expectantly.

"As you know, an elementalist bonds with an
elemental through his or her weapon, both as the source of power
and connection", Serraemas explained as he pointed at the archer's
bow. "Your weapon is the physical manifestation of that link. In
other words, if that link is severed then you will forever lose
that bond." Serraemas glanced back at the ground where the weapon
lay. "Unfortunately, there is no sign of Jorne, which means that
either this battle changed locations, his entire form perished, or
that he managed to escape."

"He always liked being alone", added Raxxil,
crossing his arms across his chest. "An avid naturalist too." The
hammer-wielder jabbed at Erendil playfully. "You two would be best
buddies!"

Serraemas nodded in agreement. "He did enjoy his
solitude. In fact, he was much like you, Erendil. And like Sevag,
he chose to complete his missions alone. Despite that, he had
always been successful. Until now, of course."

"Are we going to go looking for him?" asked
Raxxil.

"No, we must continue on our mission despite the
situation", answered Serraemas before turning to Erendil. "We’ve no
way to track him if he is still alive, but when we find our target
we may find insight as to Jorne’s fate. Can you use your senses to
direct us again?"

The towrth paused and looked down pensively,
focusing on his newfound powers. After a few moments, he suddenly
jerked his head to the northwest. "I feel it again in that
direction, almost like a trail laid out before me."

Serraemas looked at Raxxil, the latter of which
displayed his signature grin. The green-eyed warrior flashed his
teeth, anticipating the impending clash. Serraemas then shifted his
attention to Erendil and nodded. "Very well. Lead the way
again."

---

Though he hid it from the others, Erendil was
ecstatic about discovering his powers. After seeing both
Serraemas’s and Raxxil's abilities, he was eager to find out what
he was capable of. He was also curious as to who his elemental
would be, and what it would be like. To his dismay, he still hadn't
heard from it, but Erendil could now feel a presence when he
previously had not. He just needed to be patient.

Erendil smiled to himself. Before Tarla had
unsealed his power, he felt useless and weak. He was like a child
following a guardian, and was even unable to fend for himself when
he was attacked in Cursewood. Now, however, he was able to assist
his allies and contribute to their quest, and he reveled in it.

They had left the clearing and had been
traversing the forest for nearly an hour. The more he used his
ability to sense dark energy, the easier and more efficient it
became. Now, he could clearly feel the source of it, and at the
moment it was immobile and very close. In fact, he estimated it to
be only a couple of miles ahead. Erendil quickened his pace into a
sprint, noticing the edge of the forest up ahead. After about a
minute, he bounded out of the trees and onto a dirt path that
snaked its way ahead. He turned around, meeting Raxxil's familiar
grin and Serraemas's blank expression.

"Good job buddy, you didn’t get us lost!"
praised Raxxil with a strong pat on the back, though Erendil was
unsure if that was his usual sarcasm or not. Sometimes the
impetuous warrior's words truly felt genuine.

Serraemas walked past Erendil, inspecting the
road that lay before them. "This is Nokle Road, a long path that
leads through several villages and eventually ends at Merchant's
Keep." He turned and looked at Erendil. "Can you direct us
again?"

Erendil nodded, and pointed down the road. "The
source is only a couple of miles down the path."

Serraemas then glanced at Raxxil and motioned
for the both of them to follow. They moved in unison toward their
goal, covering the distance quickly. It wasn’t long before they
happened upon a sharp right bend in the road, and further beyond
that, several structures that loomed in the distance. Several
blazing fires were placed around the perimeter of the village,
illuminating it through the night. A wooden fence was built around
the village save for a few entrances that were guarded by armored
soldiers.

Serraemas halted and motioned for them to stop
as well. He then looked at Erendil expectantly. Understanding the
icy elementalist’s question without words, Erendil pointed at the
village and nodded.

"Keep your guard up", whispered Serraemas as he
treaded carefully down the path. The other two followed closely
behind. It wasn't long until they were only a few dozen feet from
the entrance. There were two guards that stood watch, and they
became alerted to their presence. One of them had thin features,
while the other was rather plump. Both of them unsheathed their
weapons and tensed as the trio approached.

"Halt!" exclaimed one of the guards with a stern
expression, stepping forward with his blade raised. "Remove your
hoods at once!"

Erendil looked at Serraemas expectantly, and the
latter nodded. The three of them did as the gaunt-faced soldier
requested, and though he continued to hold up his blade to them,
seemed to soften at their exposed faces.

Except for Erendil, of course. The guard eyed
the towrth with suspicion. "From where do you hail and what is your
business here?" It was more than obvious that the man was nervous
at his presence.

"We travel from Port Yjur and are headed to
Merchant's Keep", responded Serraemas calmly.

The guard looked at his partner for a brief
moment before returning his attention to the group of travelers.
"And what of the towrth?"

"He is merely a slave and a mule", responded
Serraemas.

"Why does a slave carry a bow?" retorted the
guard.

"I'm sure you understand how volatile a city
such as Merchant's Keep can be", said Serraemas without hesitating.
"If I take my gaze off him for even a moment who knows what will
happen."

The guard mulled over the answer for a moment
and seemed satisfied at Serraemas's explanation. He stepped closer
to his partner, and the two whispered back and forth. Apparently
coming to an agreement, the first guard stepped forward again and
looked at Serraemas.

“Is something the matter?” questioned
Serraemas.

"Did you encounter any Executioners in Farrin
Forest?" asked the guard nervously.

---

Serraemas lost himself in thought as they walked
through Bellis to where the guard had directed them. The soldiers
were young and easily deceived, but he assumed that their
commanding officer would not so easily be swayed. The traveling
elementalists needed to be gone before the lieutenant awoke.

Not only that, but the man's questions regarding
Executioners were troubling; rumors about their presence—their
existence even—did not simply circulate without reason. Their
purpose here would align with Serraemas's, and their intrusion
would be bothersome. Serraemas looked at Raxxil, who seemed to
share that sentiment. However, where the former was concerned, the
latter was eager, as was evident by the toothy grin Raxxil
displayed.

"Focus on our mission", Serraemas reminded him.
"We will not engage them unless absolutely necessary."

"Uh huh", replied the hammer-wielding
elementalist while sustaining his wicked grin.

If the Executioners did interfere, then the
situation would become quite troubling. Executioners were
combatants not to be trifled with, especially considering that they
traveled in groups. If this particular group had several blue- and
red-eyed Executioners, then the situation would become considerably
more complicated. Each of their warriors emanated a bright glow
from their eyes, and the color denoted their strength. The lowest,
green, signified the weakest amongst their ranks. After that was
blue, then came red. Finally, at the top, was purple.

A purple-eyed Executioner, of which Serraemas
had yet to encounter was, according to legend, said to be an
unstoppable force. At this point in time, he was not curious enough
to separate truth from fiction firsthand.

Serraemas stopped walking and motioned for the
other two to stop as well. They now stood at what he surmised was
the center of the village, with an unusual looking caravan
stationed just a few feet away.

"Can you find our target precisely?" Serraemas
asked as he shifted his attention to the towrth.

Erendil looked down pensively again. After a
moment, the archer looked at Serraemas and shook his head. "Before,
I could feel it focused. Now I can feel it all around the
village."

Serraemas looked around. It was quiet; by now
most of the townsfolk would be asleep. Yet, he could have sworn he
saw the shadows moving, and not just because of the flickering
flames from the torches.

"You there!" exclaimed an unknown voice with a
thick accent.

Serraemas wheeled around to the direction that
the statement came from. To his surprise, he beheld a unique and
unexpected figure marching toward them. The man was quite built in
stature, and wore a form-fitting costume that was blue and yellow
in color. The muscular figure also wore a mask that wrapped his
entire head, containing sockets for his eyes, nose, and mouth. The
mask was completely blue except for a yellow ‘X’ that marked the
front of the mask. He walked past Serraemas—ignoring the
staff-wielder completely—and strutted up to Raxxil. The strange man
was just about the same height and stared at his brown-haired ally,
their faces mere inches apart.