FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (38 page)

     Lance set about memorizing what Ray had just explained to him. The Law of Elementhars seemed strict and unforgiving, but Lance knew that it had to be so in order to be effective. Ray had also explained that the Law of Elementhars or any law, for that matter, was required to be absolutely fair; otherwise it could
not
be considered a
law
.

     Lance had no idea what the time was, although he was quite sure that it was way past midnight. He bid Ray and Spirit goodnight and went off to sleep in his tent. Spirit lay down beside Ray in Ray’s tent and fell asleep. But Ray could not sleep. Reading through the Vanguard Manuscript and teaching Lance about the Law of Elementhars had focussed his thoughts on the past once again.

     Ray remembered an event almost 20 years ago. He was walking along the corridors of Monune Ruby, having a deep conversation with his mentor.

     “Monune _ Master Santlyn, I am hesitant to leave ours of it. Mistake _ what if I make of this when I am there at Monune Brown Diamond
?
Novice _ I am not one of him anymore and they would have a high expectation of me, yet I know nothing of their discipline,” said Ray.

     “Monune _ you must leave ours of it to further your studies of Elemental Sorcery, for you are a gifted young man and it is not often that the High Council of Elementhars grants its approval for an Elementhar to take up a second discipline. Mistake _ it is only human to make of this, so do not worry too much about it. Remember _ but you
must
do of this, for this is very important.
Mistake
_
never make the same of this twice
,” said Grand Elementhar Santlyn.

     “
Mistake _ never make the same of this twice
, I shall make it a point to forever remember this,” accepted Ray.

     Ray tried to hold back a tear in his eyes. Failing to do so, he closed his eyes instead. The memories of his mentor and his brother and sister Fire Elementhars were too painful to bear. He opened his eyes to the burning embers of the bonfire.
‘Mistake _ never make the same of this twice’
echoed in his mind, for he had made a mistake; in his rush and eagerness to pursue the assassins of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan, he had jeopardised the safety of his young novice. He then made a resolution to ensure that this would never happen again.

     The
26
th
Noon of Second Month of Wet Season
saw Battlelord Constrictor and his serpenest arriving at Castle Cobra. Together with them they brought their spoils of war. Standing atop the front gate, King Fangstrike scanned Serpenest Constrictor as it stood at attention outside the castle. Battlelord Constrictor approached the king, bowed and presented his report.

     “King Fangstrike, I’m sorry to report that the raid was a failure. Fort Eastguard is badly damaged, but it still stands. I’ve lost approximately 3,000 soldiers and I’ve approximately 1,300 wounded. Of the spoils of war, I’ve managed to get 9,000 slaves, three cartloads of precious gems, four cartloads of gold and six cartloads of silver. Approximately 200 cartloads’ worth of grain had to be abandoned because Fort Eastguard wasn’t taken, therefore no road was available for us to travel through to get back,” said Battlelord Constrictor.

     King Fangstrike shook his head and gave Battlelord Constrictor a disgusted look.

     “I’m disappointed in you, Constrictor
!
” he said.

     “King Fangstrike, I apologise for my failure
!
” said the battlelord.

     “Your next failure will result in your execution
!
Do you understand
?
” warned the king.

     “I understand
!
” acknowledged Battlelord Constrictor.

     “Leave 200 women, the pretty ones only, for my harem; and 800 strong men for my mines. Divide 3000 slaves equally amongst the other battlelords. Half a cartload of each type of treasure you’ll pay to me and half a cartload of each type of treasure you’ll divide equally amongst the other battlelords. The rest you can keep. Now, you’re dismissed
!
” instructed King Fangstrike.

     Battlelord Constrictor bowed, turned around and walked away upset. The high ‘taxation’ was a punishment for his failure to destroy Fort Eastguard. He had lost 3,000 soldiers and wounded his pride and all he got for his efforts were 5,000 slaves, two cartloads of gems, three cartloads of gold and five cartloads of silver, all of which he had to divide amongst himself and the rest of his serpenest. The family of the dead soldiers would get a major share of the spoils as compensation. In the end, there would not be much of the spoils left for him. A truly unprofitable undertaking
!

     The
27
th
Morning of Second Month of Wet Season
was no different than the morning before. Rays of sunlight cutting through the thick forest canopy greeted the sights. Tree branches swayed back and forth, causing a play of light and shadow. Ray, Lance and Spirit walked down the forest path, heading toward the sound of gushing water. Three Rocks Falls beckoned the trio.

     Suddenly, they heard the sounds of an argument. Ray put a finger in front of his lips, signalling Lance to be quiet. The trio slowly made their way to the giant waterfall known as Three Rock Falls. The sight, as far as Lance was concerned, was beautiful. Three large boulders stuck firmly at the top of a 100 paces high waterfall, with a huge pool below. To him, it seemed like a marvellous place for a picnic.

     At a small camp near the pool, a female Elementhar was arguing with a male Elementhar. Lance observed that the female wore the same form of clothing as Ray, although her clothes were shaped to be a little curvier and were dark blue in colour. She had a sword tucked in at her waist, which was of the same kind as Lance’s sword, with the exception of the colour of the scabbard and handle, which were ivory white instead of brown. She had long blond hair, which made her of Aridyte ancestry, and she wore a silver headband embedded with a large sapphire flanked by two smaller white diamonds. She also had a roll of black canvas and a backpack similar to Ray’s, which seemed to have been thrown hastily to the ground beside her. The male was dressed similarly in white robes, but carried neither a sword nor any bladed weapon, and wore a headband embedded with large diamonds.

     As the trio got closer, the words of the heated conversation became much clearer.

     “Fraudster _ you are of him, therefore you shall cease to pose as an Elementhar or I shall attack you
!
” said the female Elementhar.

     “What do you care
!?
I’m just trying to make a living
!
It’s not like I’m killing people or anything,” said the male Elementhar.

     “Fraudster _ you are of him and you cheated good people of their coins, and what was worse, you gave them false hopes
!
” chastised the female Elementhar.

     “So what
!?
If people are so desperate to believe in Elementhars, that’s just too bad for them. Anyone with half a brain knows that there’re no more Elementhars in this part of Free Falls. So I take their coins and sell them some hope. What’s wrong with that
!?
” argued the male Elementhar.

     “
Lies
_ you sell them of these
!
” accused the female Elementhar.

     Then the trio spotted two men creeping up behind the female Elementhar from some nearby bushes, with daggers in their hands. It was obvious to Ray that these two men were trying to kill the female Elementhar. He decided to intervene.

     Thrusting his finger forward, Ray sends a Pebble Dart flying through the air and embeds it into the wrist of one of the two men. This man yells out in pain and drops his dagger. The yell catches the attention of the female Elementhar, who turns around and sends a continuous, spiralling jet of water from her fingers to knock the second man off his feet.

     The male Elementhar, seizing the opportunity as the female Elementhar is turned away from him, pulls out a dagger from inside his robe with his right hand and lunges at her with his right foot moving forward. But the female Elementhar turns around just in time to parry the thrust off to her left, steps forward and slightly to the right, and slams her right elbow into his jaw. As the male Elementhar stumbles backwards several steps, the female Elementhar steps forwards and follows up with a Back Horse Kick, sending him falling into the pool with a loud splash.

     The first man, already wounded by Ray, attempts to flee. The female Elementhar sends a continuous, spiralling jet of water at him that slams him straight into the thick and wide trunk of an old tree, knocking him unconscious.

     Meanwhile, the male Elementhar tries to swim away. The female Elementhar gestures with her hand. A stream of soul energy leaves her fingertips and enters the pool. A whirlpool forms in the middle of it, and begins to suck in the male Elementhar.

     “Help
!
Help
!
Let me go, please
!
I swear… I swear, no more
!
I’ll stop
!
Please
!
” begs the male Elementhar, half drowning as he struggles to stay afloat.

     The female Elementhar makes another hand gesture. The energy stream ceases and so does the whirlpool. Then she gestures for him to come towards her. The male Elementhar swims to the nearest bank, crawls ashore and stumbles at her feet.

     “No more
!
I swear it
!
No more scams
!
I’ll be honest from now on. Please let me go
!
” he says.

     “Drown _ I shall do of this to you if I ever catch you masquerading as an Elementhar again, understand
!?
” she threatens.

     “I understand
!
I understand
!
No more masquerading as an Elementhar
!
No more scams
!
You’ll drown me if I do
!
Please let me go,” begs the male Elementhar.

     With a simple wave of her hand, she dismisses him. The fake Elementhar stumbles into the forest and disappears. So do the two men.

     Slowly, the trio came out from behind the trees and approached the female Elementhar.

     “Nature’s wisdom _ may you have of this
!
” greeted Ray as he and Lance bowed.

     “Nature’s wisdom _ may you have of this
!
” replied the female Elementhar, bowing in return.

     “Name _ mine of this is Master Elementhar Ray Iddell, and this is my novice Lance Arman and my wolf companion is called Spirit,” said Ray.

     “Name _ mine of this is Master Elementhar Clover Genox,” said the female Elementhar.

     “Curious _ I am of this of your story, which will be more enjoyable over a meal, so shall we set up for an early lunch
?
” suggested Ray.

     Master Elementhar Clover Genox nodded her head in agreement.

     Ray and Lance set their things down and went off to search for firewood and wild fruits. Clover pulled out her supply of rice and vegetables. When Ray returned, he created a ‘stove’ by lining up some rocks into a small circle and pilling up some firewood into the middle of it. He then lit a fire with Elemental Sorcery. Clover’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. Then she took a proper look at Ray’s headband, and noticed for the first time the large ruby embedded in the middle of it.

     “Fire _ your element is of this
!
” said Clover.

     “Fire _ my element is of this,” said Ray calmly.

     “Possible _ it is not of this, for the Fire Elementhars are all dead
!
Identity _ what is your true of this
!?
” demanded Clover.

     “Identity _ mine of this, I have told you; but be patient, during the meal I shall explain,” said Ray.

     Clover nodded her head and sat herself down near the stove that Ray had just created.

     Half an hour later, lunch was ready. As they sat down in a circle around the stove, Ray began to tell his story to Clover.

     “Massacre _ 15 years ago, during the event of this, I, and I alone, survived. Escape _ I was commanded to do of this by my mentor, Grand Elementhar Ridge Santlyn, in order to safeguard the Original Vanguard Manuscript,” explained Ray.