Son of the Dragon (The Netherworld Gate Book 3) (16 page)

CHAPTER 14

Talon observed the strange interactions between the two groups of drow as they finished loading the boats with provisions. The Tomni’Tai looked upon the Sierri’Tai with apparent fear, but there was something else too; a curiosity. He mostly saw this displayed from the smaller children, who asked to touch the Sierri’Tai warriors’ strange armor, or pointed at their hair and made comments in hushed tones followed by giggles.

These fleeting interactions were met with mixed reactions from both sides. Leflin spurred the warriors to work, while protective mothers scooped up their children and pulled them away from the Sierri’Tai.

When the remaining survivors from the village were separated and sent to their boats, Leflin made a head count. There were fifty Tomni’Tai altogether, including the children.

Once the five large schooners were filled with provisions, and the survivors, as well as Talon’s warriors, were on board, they all set sail for the main continent to the north. Elorien and her father Fyrik sailed on the same boat as Talon and Leflin. The weather was favorable and the winds were strong enough to give the voyagers a good start.

The first leg of the voyage was quiet, if not slightly comical. Talon watched as the Sierri’Tai on his boat marveled at the expanse of the open sea. They bent down over the side of the boat, straining to drag their fingers through the cool liquid. Leflin explained to Talon that they had never seen a large body of blue water before. The rivers in the Netherworld ran black. To get fresh water there, they had to dig wells several hundred feet below the surface, and even then they had to use magic to purify it for use.

Talon decided to let the warriors have their fun. Better to try and be a leader that was not seen with a harsh hand before they could accomplish their task. The assassin moved toward the rear of the boat, passing by a few huddled groups of Tomni’Tai. Many of the Tomni’Tai survivors spoke only in whispers, and cast nervous glances at Talon and his warriors. Those who piloted the schooners and worked the sails concentrated more on their work than their passengers, but the wary glances and untrusting stares were still there, if Talon was willing to look for them.

Talon quickly tired of the tension. He went to the cabin to find some solace, but was greeted by a baby that was screaming and fussing while the mother tried to nurse the youngling. Talon sighed in frustration. He knew he had told Fyrik not to bring any children onto his boat. He hadn’t the patience for their noise, nor did he care for their annoying antics. He looked beyond the mother and babe to see a pair of young drow boys sitting on the floor of the cabin and playing a card game. More children.

Needing to take in some fresh air, Talon moved to the rear of the schooner and sat upon a small bench there as he watched the setting sun in the west throw orange and pink hues into the sky that reflected brightly off the water.

“It’s beautiful,” Elorien said as she approached Talon and sat beside him.

Talon nodded his agreement and turned to study her. She caught him staring at her and laughed softly.

“I don’t have a weapon, if that’s what you are looking for,” she said.

Talon cracked the tiniest of grins and nodded. “It crossed my mind,” he replied.

“So what was it?” she asked. “When I saw you before, you were like stone. An animal that was cold and fierce, but now, I see something that looks almost human.”

“Almost human?” Talon shot back.

Elorien nodded. “There is still an edge to you. Anyone who saw you fighting in the village knows that. But, you have softened.”

“What if I have?” Talon asked.

Elorien shrugged. “It makes me wonder what our fate might have been if you were still the same man I met before. If Klegin and his kin had come, but you were still the calculating, violent beast you were when we first met, would you have stopped them?”

Talon sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I probably would have done the same thing,” Talon said. “Though it might have been for a different reason. The simple fact that Klegin double-crossed me, and tried to skip out on what he promised me would have been enough to set me on the same path.”

“But that isn’t what compelled you to act?”

Talon shook his head. “Like I said, their queen didn’t want bloodshed.”

“And I suppose even the calculating assassin always keeps his word then?”

Talon smirked. “Not always, I suppose.” He shook his head and decided he may as well come out with it. The last time he had shared a boat with her, she had talked his ear off, and that was when she thought he was cold and without warmth. Now that she had seen a softer side, there was no telling how long she might pester him until he finally told her the truth. He turned and shrugged slowly. “My mother was murdered by Basei. I took to a life of revenge a long time ago. What I did was always whatever was in my best interest. I partnered with a few people at different times, but those arrangements never worked out. Usually my partners betrayed me, such is the life I lead. Still, I have always had one rule.”

“You don’t kill women,” Elorien said. “You told me that just before you threatened to tie me to the mast the last time we sailed together.”

Talon remembered the conversation well. He almost laughed as he recalled it now, but he managed to stifle his urge. “I killed a woman,” Talon blurted out. “In the cave near the gate. There was a Kruk priestess, and she stood between me and my goal.”

Elorien brushed hair from her face and watched Talon as he sat silently, composing the words he wanted to say next.

“Previously, I have been able to escape from women warriors, but this one was different. I couldn’t wound her. She healed instantly. There was no way for me to incapacitate her and still leave her alive.”

“So you did what you had to do in order to open the gate,” Elorien finished for him.

Talon nodded and scraped his toe along the deck as if pushing a piece of dirt away. “Anyway, you asked what changed. That’s it.”

“You mean to tell me that you never broke your rule before?” Elorien asked.

Talon shook his head. “I have indirectly caused harm, I’m sure. I have started fights, even instigated war in Zinferth. In Medlas, I set a large fire that ravaged much of the city, but I had never directly killed a woman before. I always escaped, incapacitated them, or used a mixture to help them forget they ever met me. I never killed a woman.”

The two of them sat in silence after he finished speaking. It was strange. He hadn’t confided in anyone for as long as he could remember. He hadn’t even allowed himself to feel remorse or shame for the things he had done, let alone talk to anyone about it. Yet, here he was, on a boat bound for the mainland so he could finally kill the demi-god that had so long ago put him on his bloody path, and he was confiding in an elf.

After a few moments, Elorien rose from her seat and left Talon to his thoughts.

For an instant, he wondered what she was thinking. Then he pushed the thought out of his mind. What difference would it make? He shook his head and sat back, looking out to the sunset again and clearing his head of all thoughts except for Basei. He pictured the temple in his mind. He imagined what it would look like on the inside. How many priests would there be? What defenses would Basei have put in place in the High Temple? Then he pictured the demi-god of battle himself. Talon closed his eyes and watched a deadly dance play out in his mind between him and his arch nemesis. He slowed the fantasy down just as his blade pierced through Basei’s chest and the demi-god was vanquished forever.

“Are you sleeping?” a voice called out.

Talon begrudgingly opened his eyes and abandoned his fantasy. Before him stood Fyrik. The assassin looked up at the elf and nodded. “I was thinking about it,” he said.

The elderly drow sat down next to him. His brow was creased in what Talon assumed was a weary expression, after all, Fyrik had seen many of his villagers die at the hands of the other Sierri’Tai warriors. Talon took a moment to look at Fyrik, noting the similarities between Elorien and her father, most obviously the shape of the eyes, somewhat almond-like and bright in color. Yet there were stark differences as well. Elorien’s skin tone was much lighter than her father’s. She was still easily identified as a drow by her appearance, but Fyrik was a much darker gray, a color one might see if they rubbed gray ash over a black piece of charred wood.

That wasn’t all Talon had noticed either. Fyrik was a hard father, commanding and demanding exact obedience. Elorien was the only one that questioned him, and even when she held her tongue, Talon had seen the fire in her eyes. Even in the short amount of time it took to prepare the schooners, he had seen enough of their dynamic to get a feel for their relationship. More than that, he gained insight into Fyrik’s character, learning that the elderly elf was a shrewd and cunning patriarch. He wasn’t exactly dangerous, but Talon figured he would have to keep an eye on the drow. That was why he had insisted on putting them both on his boat.

“She is a good person, my daughter,” Fyrik said, breaking the uneasy silence between them.

Talon eyed Fyrik suspiciously. He wondered whether Fyrik knew about all of his daughter’s deeds while on Svatal, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he wondered why Fyrik was opening a discussion with that line. Talon was not looking for a wife.

“She could be a good companion,” Fyrik continued and he leaned in and nudged Talon with his shoulder.

Talon was not in the mood for games. He decided to prod Fyrik into being more direct. “Fyrik, you saw what happened as a result of me opening the gate. I presume your daughter told you how she met me. What exactly are you getting at?”

Fyrik’s smile disappeared. “Sometimes, one has to look beyond what they see in order to see what they are meant to find,” he said.

“Now I know you were familiar with Jahre,” Talon said with a sigh. “I am not one who has patience for riddles.”

Fyrik nodded and brought his tone down to ensure only Talon could hear him. “Very well. I shall speak plainly. There are not many of my people left, certainly none that would be a suitable match for Elorien. I am suggesting you might find that having a woman around eases pains that nothing else can. I was familiar with your grandfather, yes. I even know some details of your life, though admittedly not nearly enough to say that I know who you are. Still, if you are going to slay Basei, then who will be there for you? A demi-god lives much longer than even an elf. They become immortal. If you can look beyond Elorien’s past, and see her for who she is, you would find a fair companion.”

“Her past is not as dark as my own,” Talon said openly.

Fyrik nodded. “Among my people, there are not many who would be willing to overlook her past. I thought perhaps you might have a different perspective. Maybe you could at least ponder the possibility of new beginnings.”

“What’s in it for you?” Talon asked.

Fyrik laughed aloud and shook his head. “That depends entirely upon you,” he said.

Talon shot Fyrik a curious glance.

“What I mean to say, is that if you embrace the idea, and she agrees to it, then I could be at peace. She is all the family I have left.”

“And you would betroth her to an assassin?” Talon asked.

Fyrik shrugged. “If you are the man that Jahre saw in his visions, then your past is of little consequence so long as you set a correct course from this point forward.”

Now Talon laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think it is that simple,” he said.

Fyrik turned and seized Talon’s shoulder with surprising strength. “Oh but it is. Don’t you see? You are one who can tip the balance. You are the one that Jahre saw restore order to a broken land. You replace Basei, and though you win vengeance for yourself, you can give so much more than that to the people that worship Basei. You will have the power to grant their prayers, to offer them blessings, and to stop the atrocities Basei commits out of his rage. You can tame the fire that scorches these lands. Furthermore, you will need a strong partner to keep you steady. My daughter is not only a good person, but she is strong. She can stand beside a demi-god and not flinch when things become difficult, and mark my words, things will become complicated.”

“Ah, so there it is then,” Talon said. “You want me to marry your daughter so she can keep an eye on me and keep me in line, is that it?”

Fyrik nodded. “I am not afraid to say so,” he replied. “Men are often given to bloodlust, passion, rage, and greed. A good woman provides a great buffer to those temptations. I have done terrible things in partnership with the other great minds of the Elf War in order to preserve balance and keep our world from ruin. Betrothing my daughter to the future Basei seems a small measure by comparison if it helps to ensure balance. But, there is more to it than that. I saw the way she looked at you when she saw you standing on the bank.”

“When she was deciding whether to kill me, you mean?” Talon interrupted.

Fyrik waved off the notion. “No, that isn’t what she was thinking. You don’t know this, but she talked about you a lot after she brought you to Selemet.”

Talon growled in frustration. “She wasn’t supposed to,” he said.

Fyrik pushed Talon’s shoulder and shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. She talked about you in her sleep. She wasn’t conscious.”