Dusk Falling (Book 1) (5 page)

Most of the people there were involved in the fish trade- either fisherman, merchants peddling the prepared fish or those selling items to catch fish with or to cook fish in.

Easy prey for a rogue mage…

The team had witnessed such before. A madman wholly bent on his own superiority, terrorizing village after village for his own twisted pleasures. It was not a new concept, not something totally unheard of. The world was still young, still developing, slowly taking steps out of its imposed darkness to stand in the sun. Born into darkness, it would take many an Elf’s lifetime for light to equal out in the world of Selnaria. Only a small portion of the world was considered habitable by the beings that lived there. It was a tough road to follow but the path was only waiting to be paved.

Barda was very still for the fisherpeople of the Azure Ribbon rose with the sun and turned in when the GoldenSphere fell into the Aaram Ocean in the west. Kcrie searched the sources of water in the town for life signs
reflected upon their surfaces. Beyond late night moongazers sneaking out to hold hands with a sweetheart at the boat port and the occasional flash of a yawning local, Barda was asleep.

Kcrie sighed and blank her straining eyes. Such were the limitations of her current form. She began to check the perimeters of the surrounding lands. She started with the inlet near the town and then headed into forested hills that lay beyond the foot of the Krintal Mountains. It did not take long from there for an image to appear that snatched her complete attention like a striking viper.

Kneeling at the side of a tiny stream was the snow-haired Elfkin the team was sent to find. He scooped up the cold water and splashed it onto his face. Rivulets ran down his neck to soak the surprisingly pristine white shirt he wore. Seemingly oblivious to the cold, his piercing eyes peered off intently into the distance. He rose and stalked out of her view.

Quickly, the Asrai noted the whereabouts in correlation to Barda by backtracking to the town. Jumping from waterspot to waterspot, she came to the conclusion of a distance no greater than five to eight miles.

Kcrie dropped the spell, the water merging back within her body. Her words roused her companions fully from their slumber. “I have found the one you are searching for.”

“And? Where is he and how far?” Serrtin asked, sitting up and leaning forward.

“No more than eight miles from the town of Barda in an area of many trees at the foot of mountains.”

“This is indeed good news! We’ll be in Barda in a spare few days.” Agemeer said with an unconscious shake of his bushy tail.

“Yes. Let’s head to the town first to pick up some more supplies. We’ll stay the night there and head out at first light. We’ll begin our search fresh. He’ll have some distance on us but we’ll make up for it.” Serrtin said with an unabashed yawn. The Yarcka immediately stretched out upon the ground. Slumber would find her quickly for a Yarcka could sleep anywhere at any time.

Feeling like she had to say something, Aya spoke up. “Um, good work, Kcrie. We could not have found him without your help. Thank you.”

Kcrienalpralopar gazed at the young mage without expression, eyes flat. She stood suddenly. “I will set up the Boundary now.”

Watching the Asrai walk off, Aya could not help thinking Kcrie a cold woman. But then Kcrie wasn’t really a woman either. Aya was apt to forget that sometimes.

“Ah… she doesn’t mean to act hurtfully.” Agemeer remarked softly, “She is in a way like our Serrtin but even more so stuck in her ways. Blame her not for acting so, she has had a hard life.”

“I know. And I don’t blame her.” Aya responded with a small smile. She settled down once again into her blanket.

“That’s a good girl.”

“Agemeer?”

“Hmm?” The Wulf yawned, resting his head onto his paws.

“I’ll try to be confident in my abilities and not fail my family, my team, my magic or myself.”

Agemeer lifted his head, one ear cocked. He had no idea what had prompted her words but judging by her sincere expression it had been an important admission. He responded with a simple “I know you will.” But the Bren was already fast asleep.

Kcrienalpralopar stepped lightly around the campsite touching a tree here, a plant there. When she finished the area seemed to brighten momentarily and then fade back into the shadows.

In the beginning of their relationship with the Fae, Serrtin would stand watch despite the boundary wards Kcrie would set. The Yarcka warrior refused to believe in something she could neither see nor prove to protect her team while they slept. So night after night, the three would take turns at guarding as Serrtin demanded. The Asrai cared not.

One night however as Serrtin stood watch, the light of Eleuin revealed a prairie badger- a perfectly harmless if pesky creature- wander near in search of a free meal. It blundered right into Kcrie’s unseen barrier. The badger felt nothing; it couldn’t have, for that’s how quick it disintegrated. The barrier glowed a pale red and the creature was gone. From there on, Serrtin decided that perhaps the Asrai’s magic
could
be trusted.

Chapter 4

Morning came to Aya in the form of a large clawed foot that prodded her shoulder insistently. Slowly, the girl disengaged herself enough from her tangled blanket to sit up, blinking sleepily. When it seemed at last she was awake enough to be left to her own devices, the Yarcka moved off to retrieve the mage’s horse. Trinket looked about as sleepy as her owner and was much less willing to wake up.

Though decidedly against beasts of burden, through her friendship with Aya, Serrtin learned how to care for the ill-mannered creatures called horses. Taking up the saddle and blanket, she placed it on the back of the mare easily and slipped the headstall over the saddle horn. Serrtin left that and the cinch for the Bren to deal with. The mare waited while the team finished their own breakfast of biscuits and sliced fruit (the Yarcka forgoing the latter) while partaking of her own grains.

Kcrie returned from her nightly excursions looking exhausted as she usually did. Her form was quickly drifting back to its natural state. The Asrai held it only long enough to terminate the boundary ward before returning to the sanctity of her crystal flask without so much as a word to her fellows. It was now her turn to rest. None of her companions knew what she did in her nightly journeys and no one questioned her actions.

With all members accounted for, the team packed up their diminishing supplies. The large duffel was hefted onto Serrtin’s capable shoulder and the saurian waited while Aya adjusted her saddle straps before taking the lead away from the campsite.

Utilizing her inherent sense of direction, Serrtin put her feet to the unpaved path to Barda. The wooded lands became open pastures over the passage of the next day. The lands were not as lush as the grasslands of Indelsis, where rainfall came often, nor as hilly as lower Jade. Basically flat, littered with patched of unruly bush, wildflowers and young saplings, visually the west was nothing grand. Prairie badgers made their homes in such areas, making a pace faster than a trot potentially dangerous. A herd of deer took to their feet when the team came within bowshot, bounding away to disappear into the thicket.

Within several hours and two rest stops later, the landscape began to change once again. The openness of the prairie blended with tall emerald-leaved trees. The air quality changed as well, thickening with the proximity of the Azure Ribbon. The soil grew at once more rocky and more moist.

Aya’s mare stepped up its pace, ears alert. She too knew a city was near and was looking forward to a nice bath and a warm meal almost as much as her rider. Last night had been chill underneath the tree canopy.

The appearance of dragonlits finalized the last few steps to the city. The small scavengers chittered at the trio’s approach, only bothering to move out of the way when they were threatened with being stepped on. Even then, they bared their needle-like teeth and flapped multi-colored wings in agitation. The dragonlits seemed to especially eye Agemeer for wolves have been known to kill and eat their kind.

“Foul flying rats.” Serrtin growled in distain, “Wherever there is a city, it’s a guarantee there’ll be dragonlits.”

Barda’s borders sat nestled amidst the tall slender trees that dotted the landside. What could be immediately seen from their vantage point was the combination of stained woods and a material called ‘sand plaster’ that made up the majority of the buildings. Adjusting their path, they headed through the arc wall and into the city. No guards stopped them nor would any of the short pole fences that some chose to bar in their yards.

Barda was a large establishment but not in terms of cities like Taclor or Jerenzi. Most of the buildings were one-story with slanted roofs to keep rainwater and humidity from setting in rot. Still, green moss could be seen on the thatching. Large barrels sat below corners of some, collected rain pooled within. One-horse drawn wagons sat patiently out of the way of the main roads, jumbled piles of netting and rope inside.

The people who could be seen outside of their homes or businesses wore mostly what looked to be of a strong homespun cotton and mended leathers, the ladies wearing brightly colored shawls around their heads to keep the wind, cooled by the inlet, from tangling their hair and nipping their ears. Heavy sturdy boots seemed the commonplace even for the children that ran laughing down the hard-packed soil of the streets.

The city smelled of fertile grounds, seawater and salted wood. The scent of fish too was altogether noticeable. Outdoor booths saw hung the catch of the day, gutted and strung up by bits of twine. It seemed as if the entire city was made up solely of fish- if it were not fillets or dried marine life ready for sup, it was signs and boards and even statues with fish painted or etched on them. Buildings sported reliefs of bass and swordfish, some even had painted balusters of shining sand imprinted with the waves of the ocean. Hitching posts outside of the smithy shops consisted of dolphins and sharks with simple wooden poles clutched in their mouths. Even the street names were game- named after the inlet and its creatures.

Agemeer opted to remain outside of the city as he usually did, something the old scholar was adjusting to in his own way. At first, it was hard on him not being able to even enter cities he’d never been in before. As a man of knowledge, being denied the chance to see and learn new things first-hand was a difficult lesson to come to terms with but as a wise man he understood why and could accept the loss as yet another chance at something to learn.

Once in Barda, the eyes of those on the main thoroughfare were automatically drawn to Serrtin but that was not an odd occurrence. All non-saurians regarded her race with a varying degree of fear, disgust or hatred. Usually with Yarcka that reputation was justified. Serrtin was accustomed to it, expected it and was the kind to take advantage of another’s ill-opinions for it. Deserved or not.

The large saurian puffed out her muscular chest, making her appear even larger and more intimidating. Serrtin enjoyed letting people’s fears about her kind run rampant even though she knew herself to be a very unusual representative of her race and that her nonconforming attitude would be construed as weakness to other Yarcka. In the back of her mind she figured by at least pretending to be typical would keep non-saurians from judging any other Yarcka as being anything but. Again, selflessness was not a common quality among Yarcka but letting others get the wrong idea about them was not something Serrtin wished to do.

Aya watched her comrade out of the corner of her eye; she knew what Serrtin was up to. Her friend liked to ‘perform’ for an inept audience. Luckily enough, Barda’s fisherman populace was renowned for being a very relaxed sort, not easy to upset in any violent way. Life was good for them- the catch was always good, the business was always there.

The dark-haired mage kept her mare as close as she could to Serrtin, their heads about level with each other. Though Aya would never ever admit it to her friend, she knew it helped dissuade any ill-thoughts if the locals knew her to be with Serrtin. Bren weren’t known for being troublesome (with the exception of the Bren involvement in the Red Sword Wars, where at a later date, the Bren were disavowed of any wrongdoing).

As they walked past the smithy both of the Hunter’s eyes flicked to the figure standing beside the cornerpost of its river-reed awning. Trained to spot the conspicuous- those who did not look like the area townspeople- they saw him lurking in the smoky haze of the forge kept outdoors. He had been watching them as well with cold eyes and when he had been spotted he turned and moved off down the alley.

Serrtin and Aya exchange wordless glance. Something was afoot. But did it necessarily have anything to do with them and their mission? That would remain to be seen. It looked like their stay in Barda might not be as
pleasant as they first thought. After locating the supply store (notably called the Flying Fish Supply Store) Aya tied Trinket to the hitch at the side of the building. She patted the bay’s warm shoulder. The horse too giving eye to the large gaudy red fish with two pair wings painted on the shops wall.

“I would say that I would be interested in searching out their local arcane trader to see if they had anything useful but I’d be afraid it would all have something to do with fish.” Aya said with a quirk, “Or fishing. Or being a fish.”

“Hmm, you know that could be-”

“Don’t even say it, you!” The mage chided.

Inside the store, Serrtin and Aya’s noses were treated to a pleasant, if strong, clean oil smell. A treat only when compared to the soil and fish smell of outside. The wood of the plank floor and the multitude of shelving had recently and lovingly polished to a deep shine. A boy in a brown cap was finishing up the job in the far corner, an oil rag hanging out of his pocket.

Two grizzled men, both in skull caps and thick beards, spoke with the man behind the counter who, judging by the resemblance, was the father of the boy who was now untangling the fish-netting. One of the bearded men said something to all their amusement and the shop-keep’s well-rounded belly shook with guffaws. The two said their farewells and made for the door.