The Crimson Claymore (11 page)

His eyes closed as all he heard around him was silence. It seemed that both Starlyn and Karceoles were done battling as well. He enjoyed the quiet, as it reminded him of simpler times. A twig crunched not a pace behind him. Searon turned around abruptly, still on his knees and jerking his claymore to a defensive position. It wouldn’t have been enough time, as he saw one last draeyk with an axe already raised ready to drop it on his skull. Instead of feeling the abrupt pain of death, he saw a sword pierce the creature’s heart from behind. A low gurgling was the only thing he heard as the creature tumbled to the ground. Behind the creature stood the human he’d spent most of his efforts protecting. The man held a sword in his right hand that shook uneasily. A cold sweat drenched the man’s face, and he shivered before dropping his weapon. He looked hard into Searon’s eyes until his knees gave way and he sank to the ground, losing the last ounce of strength he just had.

Chapter 11

S
earon rushed to help the weak man and strained his back in the process. He was still injured from the blow to his lower back, but he knew that the human in front of him was weaker. With an easy touch, Searon was able to shift the human onto a log. His claymore still resided in his hand, and he put the no-longer-glowing weapon into its scabbard.

The man tugged at his long black hair now tangled with waves. It hung just past his shoulders and appeared that it should be tied in a ponytail. His eyebrows were thin and his face shaved clean. Even with the days he’d been unconscious, there was still little facial hair to be noticed. He had a baby face as if he was young, but his slanted eyes told his age of long experience. They were hazel and harder than any warrior Searon had known. His body seemed fragile with barely enough meat to cover his bones, but there was still muscle in his arms. Still, he held his pointed chin high with pride. Muscles were only seen if he shifted the right way or likely if he flexed.

“Thank you,” Searon shifted his gaze to look deep into the cold hazel eyes of the man.

Searon was amazed that the man held enough strength and courage to strike down a draeyk when just waking up from a coma. He may have seemed thin and weak, but his strength went beyond his muscles. It seemed the warrior had heart, and that was one thing that Searon himself was lacking.

The man only nodded silently with obvious strain. Sweat drizzled down his face, and his long black hair frizzed with moisture. His hand pulsed in effort to make a fist, and he stared at it blankly. Strength would not come back to him, though, as it seemed he used the last of it to save Searon.

Searon held his bottom lip down and whistled deep into the wind. In a moment, the gallop of his horse could be heard. Stripes appeared within minutes and nudged at Searon’s hand. He smiled, briefly petting the animal behind the ear. Reaching in the saddlebags, he pulled out dried meat and an apple, which he handed to the man. At first, the man looked at the food with a blank stare before reaching for it. With barely a chance to swallow, the food disappeared into his mouth.

Karceoles stalked up slowly with his zylek. He put out his hand to assist the man to his feet. The man looked at him reluctantly before accepting his help. Strangely, the wizard gave up his zylek to the human, who gratefully accepted it. Karceoles appeared strange in brown robes without his zylek in hand. He appeared weaker as he hunched over, but he still stared down his nose to look at the human.

“What is your name?” Karceoles asked, raising an eyebrow.

“My name is Andron of Guerettos,” he said in short breaths. Karceoles noticed the man had dark bags under his cold eyes. His accent sounded nasal, as if he spoke more through his nose than his mouth. Each word seemed to connect together with barely a definition of sound from one word to the next, and that gave his voice a flowery tone.

“What are you doing this far west?” Starlyn broke in with wonder.

It was strange to see humans that crossed the Aedth Desert. Most who attempted such a feat were later found as bones sprawled out on the desert floor. The Aedth stretched on for so many leagues that it was deemed an infinite amount by the standards of humans. Starlyn stared at him strangely as if he was the first human she had met. Likely, Andron was her second. There were also rumors spread throughout Calthoria about the other side of the Aedth being more dangerous than the desert itself.

“The village I come from is strong, but it was attacked by savage draeyks. The finest warriors were gathered and sent out to cleanse the land surrounding us. We were led astray until we became so lost that we had no choice but to continue traveling.” He paused briefly to wipe sweat from his brow and catch a breath. “Our numbers dwindled, but we could not stop. Everywhere we went we found draeyks, and our bloodthirst was great. We were destroying the creatures that brought chaos and fear to our homes. It seems I am the only survivor of the hundred sent.”

“And you were their leader?” Karceoles brushed his knotted white hair from his face to better inspect the warrior.

Andron croaked a laugh and shook his head. “Hardly. I come from a mere peasant family. It is merely luck that I am still alive.”

Andron’s face turned grim now with memories of his fallen comrades tormenting him. He seemed to be holding onto himself with barely a thread. His face buried into his knees, and he began to rock back and forth. Chills tensed his body and traveled down his spine as he sighed. There was little left for him but his home, yet it seemed enough.

Karceoles looked at him with respect glowing in his orange eyes. The wizard did not believe Andron could be a mere peasant. Surely, he was a captain, a lord. His fighting skills were more than enough proof of his importance.

“Luck has nothing to do with it. I saw you battle out there. There is much skill in you, and I would gather that you are superior in swordplay to the rest of your party.” Searon flinched his nose as he spoke.

He had trained thousands of warriors over the years, and none held as much skill as he saw in the young man before him. Even the captains that Searon trained for various legions did not seem as skilled as Andron. Searon knew he only saw little of Andron battling and would have to test his skills when he regained strength to be sure. Warm thoughts crossed his mind as he realized he would have someone to sword practice with. It was good exercise to dance with a blade at least once a day.

“Let’s just say that I’m faster to learn from my mistakes,” Andron said, disregarding their compliments.

“Do you have a family?” Starlyn asked as she sat down next to Searon.

“Wow, a kheshlar! I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never known they were true. I mean…you are a kheshlar, are you not?”

A smirk broadened at Starlyn’s rosy lips. There was a slight blush that streaked across her face that quickly faded. Instead of seeming offended, she appeared proud. In fact, she brushed her golden hair behind both of her ears and grinned profoundly. She looked a fool. Andron’s eyes widened as he was able to get a closer gaze of her thin tall ears shaped like long leaves.

“Yes, I am.” Starlyn continued to grin sheepishly.

“The stories are true then that kheshlars hold appearances beyond beauty.”

Her cheeks reddened deeply. “Do you have a family?”

“Yes…yes, I do.”

His eyes watered as his mouth tightened. No tears fell, but he sighed and stared at the ground. Strength enough to snatch a switch from the ground found him, and he began twirling it, drawing figures in the dirt. He shivered as he looked at a picture of a woman and three children.

“I have a wife and three kids. I am eager to get back to them, yet I do not want to head home until I know those savage beasts will do them no harm. I wish to see these abominations destroyed.”

“It seems…today may be your lucky day,” Karceoles nodded with a twinkle in his eye.

“Do you hunt draeyks as well?” Andron asked with a hint of excitement touching his breath.

“We more than hunt the draeyks. We have maps and locations of all their settlements. We plan on annihilating all of them.” Karceoles pried a scroll from under his horse’s saddle and handed it to Andron.

The man’s eyes lit up with excitement. His hand seemed to touch the hilt of his sword for a moment before shakily drifting back to the scroll. He paused a moment to study each one of them with bewilderment in his eyes. There was doubt in his expression but hope as well.

“What are your names?”

“I am Karceoles the Wise, fire wizard of Calthoria.”

“Wise?” Searon barked a laugh.

“Fool, I
am
wise!”

“As you say, old man,” Searon grinned before turning back to Andron. “I am Searon De’Athaniel of Calthoria.” His voice faded before lowering to a whisper. “No longer do I have a city to claim myself to.”

“I am Starlyn Nightsky of Sudegam.”

Andron nodded patiently as he continued studying the three. “A human, kheshlar, and wizard…and you seem to have quite the adventure ahead of you. Still, it does not seem possible with only three.”

“Perhaps with four we could manage,” Karceoles grinned.

“Are there warriors in your city of Guerettos that may aid in our battle?” Searon asked.

“Better than that. There are two neighboring cities that would leap at a chance to destroy the draeyks.” Andron slid a dagger from his sash and began to sharpen it on a stone.

“Perfect. Perhaps with an army of humans by our side, the kheshlars will follow suit,” Karceoles reasoned.

“Not true,” Starlyn admitted with saddened eyes.

She had experience with the kheshlars before, leading them to their last war. Adding to the fact that she was a kheshlar and even though she no longer thought the way they did, she still knew. The king put her in charge of keeping the borders of Sudegam safe from draeyks because he knew nobody would take the role more seriously. Yet despite her efforts, the king wouldn’t allow any forces outside the borders.

“Karceoles raised his left eyebrow. “How so?”

“The kheshlars will only ally if personally threatened by the draeyks. For it to be a full-scale war, there would have to be a large force directly threatening the capital.”

“Kheshlars are one of the most foolish and stubborn races on this world,” Karceoles muttered under his breath.

“There are more stubborn?” Searon asked warily with an odd glance toward the wizard.

Karceoles’s eyes twinkled for an instant as he grinned. “Only one.”

“There might be a way to arrange an attack against the kheshlars,” Searon nearly whispered.

From what he’d learned of draeyks he knew that they would not back away from a battle when provoked. On the other hand, the kheshlars would not attack but only defend. It was clear what had to be done, but the only question was how.

“What are you proposing?” Starlyn asked with a raised gold eyebrow.

“Once attacked, the draeyks will follow; I wonder how far they will chase.”

“Are you suggesting we lead them into kheshlarn territory?” Karceoles asked.

“If we do not have an army to battle against such odds, then we have no choice but to lead them to an army that can defeat them.”

“Your theory is stupid enough to work…I like the way you think,” Karceoles grinned.

“We need a large settlement of draeyks to infiltrate. How far is the closest?” Searon asked, patiently looking at the wizard.

“Ten leagues north.” Karceoles stood brushing hair from his face to check his saddlebags. He turned to Andron with a grin still staining his face. “You may ride with me, boy.”

“It’s settled then,” Searon said, rising to his feet.

“It seems I have arrived just in time for the action,” Andron smiled.

Andron didn’t have enough energy to rise to his feet. Starlyn helped him and walked alongside of him to Karceoles’s horse. The wizard held out his hand and heaved Andron onto the horse behind him so he could steady himself by holding onto his back.

The two horses trotted the majority of the way but were allowed to walk for rests a few times. Searon’s mind was blazing with revenge against the draeyks, and it was nearly all that he could think about. Nothing or nobody was going to get in his way. He knew that he needed more allies in order to overcome the draeyks, and no longer was it a needless quest of revenge until his death. Now he would be able to destroy them completely and put them back into the ground where they belonged.

The horses were paced at a medium walk now with Karceoles and Andron next to Searon and Starlyn. Andron stared at Searon with curiosity on his young face. There was respect in the young warrior’s eyes.

“Were you a leader of an army?” Andron asked.

Searon glanced at the man with an eyebrow raised. “No, my people never went after the draeyks. We were oblivious to their existence. In my town, I was the weapons trainer.”

“What was it that brought you here?” he asked with a twist of his lips.

“Revenge,” Searon growled through gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“Tell me about your town.”

Andron smiled. “It stands at the brink of the sea, with birds that soar high above, squawking into the distance. The sound of the ocean is the most mesmerizing sound that echoes with running water and waves that crash into the sand. There is a large lighthouse that overshadows the tallest buildings of the town with a giant flame during the night so vessels can find their way to shore. It is truly a sight you must behold yourself, Sir Searon.”

“It truly does sound amazing.”

Searon remembered the first time he saw the ocean. It was with Victoria when Kellen was five, and it was the grandest sight to behold. He remembered the look on Victoria’s face when she stared at it, holding his hand as they both had sat on the beige sand. Kellen had pranced through the water, splashing about without a care in the world.

His mind was lost to thought of the current situation as he flashed back in time into the arms of his love.

* * *

“It is wonderful, Searon. There is so much water.”

“Yes, my love, it goes on farther than the eye can see, for leagues. Right now, all of it belongs to only you and me.”