The Callindra Chronicles Book One - First Quest (34 page)

“
Sorry I may have mistaken
you for a man earlier.  What is your name?” Callindra never
could resist picking at scabs or antagonizing assholes.  She
wouldn’t mind being mistaken for a boy, but she bet this elf would
take insult.

“
To the hells with practice
blades” the blademster snarled, “Let’s see what you can do with
that little wisp of steel.  You can have my name when you EARN
it.”

Callindra sighed, oh well at least she
wouldn’t have to worry about fighting with an unfamiliar weapon.
But this was gonna HURT.

-

Sweat streamed from every pore, stinging a
myriad of tiny cuts on Callindra’s arms and torso. She had stripped
down to small clothes and her chest wrap for complete freedom of
movement and that was the only thing that had kept her from getting
worse injuries. Her opponent stood calmly without a drop of sweat
or one single cut on her body. Despite the ferocity of the fight
she felt invigorated, perhaps it was the Goddess’s gift that was
helping her.

“
Blademaster eh? Well you’re
a lot better than I am but I’ve fought tougher.” She decided it was
time to play her trump card, despite feeling good, she knew from
experience that her stamina would only go so far and she should be
near her limit. She settled back into one of her forms; Falcon
Soars Above the Mountain; and waited for what she hoped was coming,
her right hand pointed at the ground and her left holding
Brightfang toward the sky.

“
This will be our last
exchange. That ridiculous stance is making it clear to me that
you’re desperate. Prepare yourself girl.” The Blademaster swept in,
sword held low aiming for Callindra’s midsection.

Instead of blocking, Callindra moved in,
taking two complete strides aided by a harsh gust of wind from
behind her; an unexpected bonus. The speed of her motion meant
instead of contacting the edge of the Blademaster’s sword she was
struck by her arm. Callindra swung her blade up towards her
opponents’ neck, stopping inches from her skin as the other woman’s
sword skittered across the ground.

A sharp pain and the feel of something warm
running down her side made Callindra’s breath catch in her throat.
She looked down and saw the Master’s secondary blade drawing blood
from her ribs. She had forgotten about the second sword.  The
Blademaster hesitated for a moment and then broke out laughing and
withdrew her blade,

“
That was the stupidest move
I’ve ever seen. If I’d been quicker or you’d been slower you would
be dead. There’s no way I would have been able to halt my strike,
but you knew that didn’t you? You’ve got guts girl, but you’re
altogether too reckless and impulsive. Typically human. Let that be
a lesson to all of you.”

She turned to look at the assembled fighters,
“Never underestimate your opponent, especially when your opponent
is a human. They are unpredictable and that makes them even more
dangerous, never count on them to run when you think they should.
Regardless of my opinion of this one personally, she at least has
my respect as a swordswoman.”

Callindra gave her a flashy salute followed
by a short bow from the waist while she sheathed Brightfang. “I am
in your debt Blademaster. I have learned valuable lessons today,
the most important being ask who an elf’s parents are before
leaping several hundred feet off a tree limb just to help them make
a grand entrance.”

A chuckle rippled through the elves and
Callindra continued. “Give your son a chance, he’s got guts too.
Don’t underestimate someone just because they’re weaker than you
think they should be.”

She turned to Edelweiss and gave him a grin.
“Maybe once you earn your blades you and I can spar. I’m already a
couple years ahead of you so you’ll have to work hard if you don’t
want me to kick your butt. Can you show me how to get back to my
room? I’ve gotta admit this tree has me a little turned
around.”

“
I’ll walk her out mother.”
 He said, “It’s no trouble.”

Yeah, Callindra decided. Way too pretty to be
a boy.

As she followed Edelweiss back to her rooms,
Callindra realized his mother, the Blademaster, had taught her
another valuable lesson. She was not ready to pursue Glarian. If
she couldn’t even stand against a sword wielding Elf, how would she
possibly fare against someone as powerful as Dergeras?

“
Here are your rooms Lady
Callindra.” Edelweiss said, bowing slightly and looking at her with
no attempt to disguise his admiration for her.

Callindra shifted uncomfortably, she didn’t
feel like a Lady, hells she wasn’t a Lady. Standing there wearing
nothing but her sweaty smallclothes with a multitude of itchy cuts
all over her arms she didn’t feel like anything but a chastised
apprentice. She idly scratched at one of the cuts and started at
what she felt. There were leaves growing from it!

Looking down in mild shock, she saw that tiny
vines had begun to stitch the wounds shut, their roots acting as
sutures that forced the skin together and bound it tight. Her shock
gave way to amazement and she laughed out loud.

“
This is the gift Jorda gave
to me?” She asked, delighted. “I thought she was just trying to
lecture me on being pretty…”

The Elf boy was staring at her now that he’d
also seen what was happening. “A real Godsblessing.” He breathed,
“Not just the adornment but a true Brightstar Crown. I’ve never
seen a real one before.”

When he seemed almost on the verge of
reaching out to touch one of the slashes his mother had cut into
her arm, Callindra shook free of her astonished reverie. “Well, I
will have to think of a way to properly express my gratitude.” She
said, “Thanks for showing me back here, I’d never have made it on
my own.”

Edelweiss jerked his hand back, a pale pink
blush spreading over his alabaster cheeks. “Of course Lady
Callindra.” He said, all formality again.

She laughed softly and tousled his hair, “I’m
no Lady.” She said, opening the door and striding into the room.
Her brothers were sitting at the table in the main room, breaking
their fast with a light meal of porridge and fruit.

“
Been out causing trouble
already?” Cronos asked, raising an eyebrow.

“
Of course!” She said with
an impish smile, “Edelweiss would you care to join…” She trailed
off, the Elf boy had already gone.

“
Who are you speaking to?”
Vilhylm asked, looking curiously past her into the empty
hallway.

“
Oh just the young Elf who
led me back to our rooms after I caused all the trouble.” She
replied, sitting down heavily on a chair and pouring herself a mug
of water.

“
I was only joking about the
trouble.” Cronos said. She raised an eyebrow at him and he had the
grace to give her a lopsided grin, “OK, only partially joking. What
happened?”

Between bites of porridge and fruit, she
relayed her tale to them, leaving out the bit where she had thought
Edelweiss a girl. There was no need for them to think her a
fool.

“
That was reckless and
foolish!” Tryst exclaimed with much more edge in his voice than he
usually displayed, “We are honored guests here, but that’s no
reason to go about insulting people. Really Callindra, I would have
thought that even you would show more wisdom than that.”

His words stung more than she wanted to
admit. “I didn’t mean to.” She said, her good mood evaporating, “It
just sort of happened.”

Tryst took a deep breath and let it out
slowly, calming himself. “Well what’s done is done. From what you
say it sounds like you at least managed to gain a bit of their
respect. Now let’s see those wounds.”

“
There’s no need.” She said,
for some reason not wanting to disclose the Goddess’s gift to him,
“I’m fine.”

“
Nonsense, I can see the
holes in your clothes Callindra. I’ll get my kit.” He was standing
when she sighed and pulled up her sleeve.

“
Son of a pox ridden
sailor.” Cronos said, staring at the greenery that was sprouting
from the cuts. Vilhylm and Tryst just looked at her
wide-eyed.

“
It’s somehow connected to
this.” She tugged at the tiara of flowers in her hair, “Edelweiss
called it a Brightstar Crown or something.”

“
Take it off, I want to see
it.” Cronos said, leaning forward eagerly.

“
Ummm… as far as I can tell
it doesn’t really come off?” Callindra said, “I tried to take it
off before but it’s like it has grown into my hair.”

“
Your hair.” Vilhylm said,
and when she looked at him with a confused expression on her face
he pointed. “It’s at least six inches longer than it was last
night.”

Callindra turned her head quickly and felt
her hair brush her shoulders. Her hair hadn’t been this long since
she was a child. Of course when she was a child there hadn’t been
tiny tendrils of Brightstar vine growing in her hair.

“
How did it grow so
quickly?” She marveled aloud and then shook her head at her own
foolishness, of course Jorda’s magic was involved. “But why make it
long? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“
Well she did lecture you on
being more girly right?” Cronos said with a grin, “Maybe she’s just
trying to force you to be more like a girl.”

“
That’s just silly Cronos,
most of the Elf boys wear their hair as long as the girls.”
Callindra said, “Maybe that’s it. Maybe it is just making me more
like the Elves or something.”

They ate in silence for a few more moments,
her friends refraining from any more teasing and she lost in silent
thought. Finally, Callindra sat back with a wooden cup of water
with freshly crushed mint leaves in it and thumbed her pipe full of
tac. She looked at her brothers and blew twin streams of smoke from
her nostrils.

“
Tryst, I want to come with
you to find these… artifacts that Jorda told us about.” His
eyebrows raised and he opened his mouth to speak, but she continued
before he could interrupt. “I know I don’t have what it takes to
stand against Dergeras yet. I also am not foolish enough to think
that I could take him on without your help. All of your
help.”

Her friends were silent for a long moment and
she began to fear they were going to refuse. When she looked into
their faces she didn’t see what she had feared. Tryst looked
determined. Cronos eager. Vilhylm afraid, but pleased.

“
Of course.” Tryst said, “Of
course we will help you.”

“
I have a bit of payback to
give that bastard.” Cronos said with a gleam in his eye.

“
He is dangerous, you are
right to ask for our help.” Said Vilhylm, “It may be my death,
however some things must be opposed and I believe Dergeras is one
of those things.”

“
First we help Tryst with
his mission.” Callindra said firmly, trying to hold back the tears
of gratitude that stung her eyes as she looked at her friends. “If
we’re to have a chance at victory something tells me we’ll need
Gode on our side.”

“
It’s settled then.” Said
Tryst with a relieved smile, “I will be happy to have you by my
side my friends.”

-

The Elves sent them off with a good deal of
circumstance; far more than Callindra guessed they would normally
have given to a group of humans. The goddess herself escorting them
to the edge of the clearing around the Grandfather Tree.

“
You go forth with my
blessings.” Jorda said, her voice clear and confident. “I know that
you will find what you need, if you look carefully enough. Remember
to trust your instincts and each other.”

This was followed by a strange, sad song that
was raised from many throats all around although she couldn’t see
who was singing. Callindra didn’t understand the words, but the
melody stirred something inside her and she had to fight to keep
the tears at bay. As the ethereal notes faded, an entire company of
Elven warriors melted from the trees dressed in full war
harness.

Callindra looked back and she thought she saw
Edelweiss standing on a limb high above them. When she waved he
didn’t wave back, but that didn’t surprise her; Elves were a
reserved people. The next time she saw him, the Elf boy would
likely look exactly the same but she would have aged. Perhaps that
was one of the reasons the song that had made her feel sad.

As they exited the forest, their honor guard
split off and headed back into the shelter of the trees after a
brief salute. She felt she would miss their stolid presence, even
if it had seemed mildly unfriendly. The remainder of the wilderness
was hardly less hostile; especially with the threat of Onde’s
Abyssal infection out there.

“
Do you think we’ll run into
more trouble?” She asked, immediately feeling foolish. “I mean from
the Abyssal spawn that is.”

“
Of course.” Tryst said, his
voice grim, “That’s why Jorda couldn’t simply send her people off
to accomplish this task.”

Callindra shook her head, feeling the braid
she had twisted her still growing hair into swinging against her
back and pulling on her head with unfamiliar weight. “I don’t think
that’s all there is to it.”

“
What’s that supposed to
mean?” Cronos asked, raising an eyebrow.

“
She gave us gifts. She
didn’t punish us for bringing evil into her domain.” Callindra was
ticking points off on her fingers, “Even though her followers were
unreceptive, hostile even she showed us nothing but friendliness
and open arms. I think she was planning for us to work for her from
the beginning.”