The Crimson Claymore (16 page)

“True it is that your leadership is strong. You have tied yourself to a kheshlar and a wizard who both show obedience to your will. Perhaps there is more to you than meets the eye.” Vaelmirr paused to glance at the rest of the company before looking back at Searon. “Very well, this once we shall grant you what you humans call a warning. Do not take it lightly, for if we meet again in these circumstances it will not be so. Starlyn tells of a common foe you seek.”

“Yes…we are setting forth to destroy the draeyks.”

“Ah, a worthy task indeed. Starlyn herself once tried, but they are more cunning than they seem.”

He turned to Starlyn. “Nightsky, I know of your desire and need to fight these creatures in an attempt to soothe the memories of your sister. I fought alongside you before, and I know what it is that you seek. Be cautious, as in groups these beasts are dangerous, but perhaps a friendly eye will serve you when in need.”

Turning to his kheshlarn companions, he motioned for one to come forward. The kheshlar had long red hair and held a sturdy longbow. He bowed to Vaelmirr before turning to look at Starlyn. He seemed to glow a slight red as he looked at her and quickly turned away.

“I lend you Erenuyh, archer of sharp eye, to join you on your journey. May he serve you well.”

Erenuyh bowed before Starlyn and nodded to his leader before joining the party. Starlyn bowed and thanked him, as did the rest before they continued through the kheshlarn land. There were still hundreds of leagues to go yet before they could gain much rest in their party. Men were near to the other side of the land of Calthoria, and they dared not rest much until they could have a full force behind them.

Once out of the kheshlarn territory, Karceoles bid them to stop. He got off of his steed and beckoned Andron and Searon to as well. Erenuyh had sprinted alongside them instead of saddling up because no horse could fit another. The wizard waited for all of them to come close to him when he spoke.

“It is now time that we separate. For the land of men is spread aplenty, and for us to rally enough it would prove more effective if each could find a territory. We already know of Andron’s homeland, Guerettos, but there are other nations that if we could only convince to ally with us, we could truly become a formidable foe against the draeyks.”

“What do you suggest?” asked Searon.

“I have already told Starlyn of a short way that leads close to Andron’s homeland in the north,” he said, addressing the group. “The journey is perilous but necessary for haste. Searon and I will head south to the cities of men and make east for a large city where we will pay a visit to Searon’s brother and see if he can lend us aid.”

Starlyn and Andron both turned with questioning glances to Searon. Searon didn’t notice either one of them, however, but instead stared at Karceoles in disbelief. He quivered as his memories haunted him.

“How is it you know of my brother?”

Chapter 16

T
he middle of summer had finally arrived where the days grew hotter and the nights shorter. Seldom did they decide to travel during the day but instead chose the coolness of night to carry them more swiftly. During the hottest hours, they discovered what little shade could be found to rest and nap. Andron rather enjoyed Starlyn’s cheerful company, but he was unsure about the other kheshlar. Erenuyh did not seem to speak much or acknowledge him at all. He did peer at Starlyn from time to time, but he hardly even spoke to her. It seemed a spell took him each time he looked upon the fair kheshlar. Andron did admit that Starlyn’s beauty outmatched any other he had ever seen, but he thought it was common among the kheshlars. Perhaps she was even a treasure in their eyes, and Andron didn’t doubt it.

He always fancied the old Wiseman tales of kheshlars while sitting at a campfire smoking pipe weed, but he thought they were more a myth than reality. Starlyn was the first of her kind that he’d seen, and he had been entrapped by her beauty. In the stories, they were the fair folk, fair of both appearance and tongue. It was also said they had strange ears and thin but strong bodies. He had also heard that they did not eat meat, were friends of the forest, and immortal of life. As far as he could tell, the stories did not go astray. She was the first he had seen, but he was hopeful she wouldn’t be the last. Erenuyh would be the second kheshlar that Andron laid eyes on, and the first male. He noticed that there was little difference in the appearance between the men and women, for he had studied when the six had surrounded them. The men had stronger jaws, larger ears, and thicker cheek bones. Still, these comparisons were small and had to be closely observed. The clearest detail would be the body shape and slightly less pale face of Starlyn. He wondered if all the kheshlars had as fine a bosom as Starlyn.

They traveled near relentlessly once they exited the large forest of the west. The plains were bare now but a few scattered trees within giant meadows. Most of the ground was bright-green grass with goats and sheep aplenty grazing upon it to keep it trimmed. Large mountains could be seen far in the distance to the east, and they seemed to travel straight for them at a northern slope. Andron had remembered seeing mountains as tiny specks to the south of where he lived, and so he gathered Starlyn was using them as a marker. They did not travel all the way to the mountains but instead kept a league away atop small hills heading north.

Andron dearly wished he was back upon the saddle of a horse again, for his feet grew weary sprinting across the hills. He soon realized how much more energy kheshlars had than men and how out of shape he was. True it was that he was thin, much thinner than Searon perhaps, but his endurance was low. It had not always been, but after such a journey that he had, he did grow tired. After that, he grew perhaps lazy as he sat upon Searon’s fair white-and-black striped horse.

On the morning of the seventh day, they began to slow and were at a quick-paced walk. It seemed like a standard walk for the kheshlars, but it was quick in pace for Andron. Each morning, they seemed to slow in pace to relax with the morning breeze. Then they would search the hilltops for close area of shade or water to rest during the hot summer day. That day, they found both a large oak tree with shade and a pond only fifty paces in front of it. Andron smiled broadly when he sat down in front of it.

Soon, when his back was relaxed against the stern trunk of the tree, he pulled out a long-stem cedar pipe and packed it with pipe weed. The plant was called Klitheaur, and a common weed that grew in the outskirts of his village. It was used by most for its healing and potency of relaxation. The smell was good and the taste even better. He found a few twigs that he lit with his flint striker and dipped into the opening of his pipe. After taking a few long-desired inhales of the fresh pipe weed he leaned his head back in relaxation. Erenuyh’s nose seemed to twitch at the stench of the weed, but he said nothing. Starlyn, however, looked intrigued.

“That is different from the leaf that Searon smokes,” she said.

“Ah yes, this is called Klitheaur; it’s a weed, it is better for relaxation, especially after a long journey. However, it is not good for a fight, and I assume that is why Searon does not smoke it.”

“It calms you then?”

“Yes, it is often used for healing wounds, as well as a soothing aroma to help numb your body and relax your mind. After this journey of relentless sprinting, it is a much-needed calmness. Would you care for a smoke?”

She smiled. “No, but thank you.”

He looked at her then and marveled at her entire beauty. She seemed flawless, like that of a glass sculpture too fine to touch. Her fingers ran through her shining blonde hair as she sang to herself in a voice so low that he couldn’t understand the words. Andron had to clear his head from the thoughts that tormented it. He had a beautiful wife at home and many children. Yet the kheshlar’s beauty was unmatched, and he found that he could not help himself from staring.

Suddenly, a singing blue jay leaped from the branch where it sang and landed on Starlyn’s outstretched index finger. It whistled a beautiful humming tune that Starlyn matched in whistles. Together, the two seemed to perform a duet as Andron had never seen before, and his gaze didn’t falter for a second. It seemed a dream of absolute perfection, and he could not believe that what he saw was real. His eyes did not deceive him, however, for even after he rubbed them he continued to stare at the marvelous sight.

There were still many questions swirling in his head, and he knew he must ask if he were ever to find answers. He waited patiently until the bird and kheshlar finished their song. Starlyn giggled softly as the bird bowed to her and fluttered off. She looked at Andron after and smiled. It moments, he felt his cheeks grow warm, and he had to glance his eyes away for a moment.

“Have kheshlars always dwelled here in Calthoria?” Andron finally asked, looking back up at her.

Her eyes were astray glancing upon the calm pond that lay outstretched before them. She turned and met his eyes with her own and smiled.

“My knowledge is not great. Yet from what I’ve come to learn, our king Elsargast sailed across the sea many thousand years ago. He arrived with a small party of kheshlars, and they were wary from their journey, and they did not know a land here. They searched the land and were surprised to find no dragons and a race of mortal men. Their hearts stayed true to the forests of their origins, and so they settled in the west of the land. I do not know if the wood kheshlars traveled with us or came from elsewhere, but for many generations they have been lost to us.”

“Younger race? How old is the race of kheshlars?”

“That even my knowledge does not know. Our assumption is that we are the elder race, and yet since we were not kin to here, we do not know for certain. I do believe that we have been here since nearly the dawn of time, but again, I cannot be sure.”

“You did not speak of the draeyks; were they not here when your kin arrived?”

“I cannot say. I think another was noticed, but their numbers weren’t great enough to spark our interest. There was another race back then, though, that our stories do tell. They were called daerions, or those of horns. Those were nasty and strong creatures with rough blue skin and large ram-like horns that fell from their forehead to their jaw.”

“I wonder where the draeyks came from.”

“Do you want opinion or fact?”

“You have given me fact; what is your opinion?”

“From the appearance of these draeyks—with their elongated snouts, sharp teeth, long claws, scales, and tales—it seems a close similarity to the legends of dragons. Yet these creatures are much smaller. The legends of my race tell of fearsome large, scaled beasts with wings that flew through the skies and caused death and destruction to anything in their path. These draeyks do not seem so different, do they? The description is right, yet they are not as large as a palace, nor do they have wings. I come to wonder if through the dragons’ destruction of these lands, perhaps they’ve adapted in some way to a new kind, a new race.”

“Do many of your race hold your same beliefs?”

“Only a few. There are not many theorists among the kheshlars these days. Instead, they like hard facts that are written in history.”

A small humph came from Erenuyh, who sat on the far side of the tree with legs crossed. He seemed to turn to look at Starlyn for only a moment until her eyes met his, and he soon cast his aside.

“A very few,” Starlyn whispered.

“Is it true that kheshlars live forever?” Andron asked.

“We cannot die from natural causes and will live on until either sword, bow, or poison claims us. We do age, even if you human folk cannot see it. When we feel we have lived as long as we will, we become one with the trees. We may go to them and ask them for a chance to become a part of the nature that we so love.”

“How old are you, Starlyn?”

She hesitated for a moment. “Three centuries and twenty years.”

Andron stumbled as he looked at her. Her face did not nearly look so old. Indeed, she did not look young either. It was a strange appearance as he studied, but it was neither young nor old. Instead, it seemed to have an ageless appearance.

“Do all of you appear ageless?”

She smiled. “No, that look does not form until after our first hundred years, when we have reached full maturity.”

“Are there many kheshlar children?”

Starlyn laughed. “You are very intrigued in our ways.”

“I’m sorry, am I asking too many questions? Not but a month ago did I think you as an old Wiseman’s tale. It seemed you appeared out of a storybook, and I am eager to learn as much as I can.”

“Do not fret, you dare not speak too much, I will answer your questions as I can. Then perhaps I shall have questions of my own.”

“You may ask any you wish.”

“To answer your question, no, right now there are naught kheshlarn children. Though there are a few young kheshlars.”

“No children? In our villages, there are dozens outside playing with each other, either making kites or wagons to play. I have three myself, three beautiful children. I am very eager to see them once again.”

Starlyn laughed. “I have no doubt you are. You must remember that kheshlars live much longer than you. We do not need to be hasty to bear children. Our king has set forth strict rules about when we are to conceive children.”

“Rules? There shouldn’t be rules of such things.”

“For us there are. We are to only bear children once a century, on its dawn. Therefore, at each new century dawn, each of us has grown exactly a hundred years apart. It gives easy knowledge to each other’s age and how long they have been around.”

“You say you are 320, and it is true to my calendar that it is twenty years in the century. So the youngest of your kin are but twenty?”

Starlyn smiled once more. “Other kheshlars may say what they will of humans, but I will know the truth. You are a race quick to thought and mind. Yes, twenty is our youngest.”

Andron opened his mouth but soon closed it. Starlyn stared at him with wonder, but he tried again to no success. Finally, he wiped sweat from his brow and spoke at last, “Has a kheshlar ever been committed to a human?”