The Exodus Sagas: Book IV - Of Moons and Myth (9 page)

“My
name
is Ken---“

“Kendari, Kendari of Stillwood, I know. The deer told me.”

“Then quit calling me
cursed one
, or
marked one
, or
wicked painted elf
. I know what I look like
, idiot
. I also know I am cursed, hence the moronic animal that you are talking to. It is annoying, and when I get annoyed, heads roll onto the earth. Now,
tell me
its name.”

“No, you will know when you are to know, but not now. I know his mistress, and she would be most unhappy should I tell you.” Angeline smiled to the deer and knelt next to him again.

“Seirena? You
know
the wretched goddess?”

“I do. She gave me Charity here, my sacred bl
ade.” Angeline lowered her posture
, letting the deer lick the pommel.

“
Oh by the hells.
So I have a reincarnated deer with a horrid personality, a flying
whore
that
coincedintally
has a blade
named
chastity
from the
goddess
she knows, and a stolen horse that is likely more intelligent than you both.
I think it is time for me to wake up. This dream is getting worse every hour.” Kendari walked back down the hill, wiping his blades off on his cloak.

“My blade is named
Charity
, and I am no whore, Kendari. Why are you heading west, anyway?” Angeline and the deer followed, at a distance.

“Personal matters, your
goddess
likely wants to see me dead somewhere. I go merely to spoil her plans and spread some blood.
I
have
met her, unlike you.
” Kendari listened for any followers, hers or the merchants. There was none.

“Seirena does not kill, she is the Goddess of life and the earth and if she sent you---“

“I owed you
one
, for saving me in Harlaheim. I saved you from rape here this night. We are more than even if I let you live. Now take the deer
, shut your mouth,
and leave my eyes. My business in the west is my own.” He sensed this woman wanted to converse, to travel with him, at least for awhile. His nerves crawled, his stomach churned, he could feel her sword even fifty feet away now. It made him sick.

“I will ask the deer, he will tell me anyway.
I told you next time we met, it may well be different than you expected.
I am heading west also, sent by the Goddess.
” Angeline sheathed her blade, followed slowly, asking the animal that was sent to watch Kendari many a question in the night
in a s
ecret tongue through the wind
.

“Good. I hope you two have many conversations together, far away
from me
.
And it is not over yet, Angeline. If you do not tell me that name tomorrow, I
will
kill you.
” Kendari knew he should kill her, but could not understand why he did not want to. His mind tried to rationalize why he was walking away with his swords sheathed from a woman he had fought three times
and had yet to kill
.
He looked at the horse, pulled his blankets from behind the sad
d
le, and laid down to sleep.
He heard the sounds of the merchants that still lived, returning over the hill to fetch their tents and wagons. His ears heard the moans of those still struggling to survive their injuries. He could tell they were packing up and heading off in fear. Kendari smiled as his eyes closed.

“We will not be far, Kendari of Stillwood. I will see you in the morning
then
.” Angeline heard from the deer that Seirena had offered a form of redemption, a task he would never complete, the salvation of hundreds of thousands of lives for the ones he had destroyed. Still, he headed west to be
gin, more out of defiance to the Goddess
than
any
real intent on achievement. Despite what he was, Angeline of Charity did not feel the need or urge to kill the cursed elf, unlike the last few times they had met. She sat with the deer, hearing more of his story, long into the warm Shanador night.

Exodus IV:I

Road to Freemoore
, North of Evermont, Shanador

Saberrak stood at the curve in the
worn dry
road
. He looked
west, nonchalant as he could, while
Sir Jardayne, Sir Codaius, their fifty cavalry, and the purple and green wagon filled with little folk all passed by. He waited for Shinayne and the others, drinking from his waterskin on a knee now, nodding to those that continued on the road that they were about to leave. He looked to the sun, clouded over thankfully in the late summer heat, then
glanced
west as his companions approached.

“What is it
horned one?” Shinayne waved to the caravan ahead, they had stopped now and were looking back.

“See that dark storm there, beyond those three hills and that crag?” Saberrak nodded with his horns, not wanting to point or draw curiosity.

“Yes. And I see some sand colored rock from the foothills below the storm. This is it then, those are the foothills of the Kaki Mountains out there.”
Shinayne took a deep breath.

“What is it then? Ye all cannot be as tired as me, ye’ got longer legs and less armor. Come on then, pick up the pace.” Azenairk walked next to James, Gwenneth floating behind, as he wiped the sweat from his face with a cloth.

“
Zen, look west
.” Shinayne whispered.

He strained his eyes, his friends all around him.
He saw a rolling black thundercloud far in the distance, many miles of hills and crags, no roads anywhere.
Zen
shook his head.

“Nothin’ there. Keep movin’.” Saberrak’s hand set on his shoulder, strong, and stopped him in place.

“Look low, should not be hard for you
dwarf
. Below those
dark
clouds that do not seem to move like the rest, between the hills. See it?” The gray gladiator kept still, sensing some of the caravan heading back this way now.

Zen looked again, squinting his eyes, then they went wide. He saw sandstone, bits of golden yellow rock here and there, signs of the fabled Kaki Mountain range. The storm seemed to try and hide it, the lightning in the distance flashed to disguise it
and distract
, yet he knew, they all did.

“Aye. Yer right,
there it is
.” Azenair
k breathed out long and heavy, r
eleasing his tension in as much as bolstering himself for the journey that looked less than hospitable.

“Shall we set camp my brave friends? Four days of travel, and you five insisting to go afoot, I can see why you would be in need of rest.” Sir Jardayne of Highmont steadied his horse then dismounted.

Sir Codaius of Norninne, the Bear of Evermont, rode up next to them, his massive horse made Saberrak look small. Braids of blonde mane and tail swished and armor clanked as he stepped down and patted his decorated steed on the nose.
He planted the Shanador
standard into the dry road with force, the
charging
stallion
emblem
over a
silver
shield in green and gold cloth fluttered in the breeze.

“You know we could have picked a spot with some shade, should the sun appear. Not that I was aware of our halt, but nonetheless, there
are trees ahead about two miles
,
Knight General.” Codaius smacked Jardayne’s back plate with some force, startling both steed and rider.

“
Zen, it is time
.” James nudged his dwarven companion.

“Last meal first then?” Zen tried to procrastinate.

“
We just ate, Zen
.” Shinayne replied with a smile as the Shans o’ Little Door began wobbling and skipping closer a few at a time.

“Right, forgot.” Azenairk took off his shining steel helmet from the dragon Ansharr, then he took a knee and looked west again.

“Ha, nothing there to draw the curious my brave dwarf. The curselands are imposing to see though, even from this safe distance.”
Sir
Jardayne followed the eyes of Azenairk, sensing something was uneasy with the five companions that had been with him for the last two weeks.

“There are a lot of graves there, if anyone has been burying the last thousand years that is.” Codaius spoke up, trying to gauge why everyone was so quiet, even the little shans were silent at the moment, and they had hardly stopped singing the last four days and nights
on the road
.

“
Two thousand
years
.” Zen replied, instinctual rather than intentional.

“Very well, you may be correct there
,
mountain priest. However, you should---“

“Our road is north, and no offense to anyone here, but staring off into the lands lost to time and decay does not rest my spirits for the next two days of travel. Shall we?”
Tubrey sang it as much as spoke it, his smile ever present regardless. “Although, I may have to compose a scary ballad for that place. The
realm of n’er light
, or
deaths without end
, something to that nature anyway.”

“Yer not helpin much there, lil’ shan, save the ballad for another time then.” Zen had not let his eyes leave the distant foothills under the storm.

“Not to worry Zen
Thalanaxe
, our road is north, this way
, to Freemoore
. We are safe from anything that those---“

“Aye, yer road is north
, Tubrey o’ Tarnobb, it is
. But
our
road, me friends and I
,
it
is
to the
west. Right to where ye is talkin’ bout.” Zen hung his head.

Sir Jardayne and Sir Codaius laughed, followed soon by the Shans o’ Little Door, all assuming it was a jest. The five companions however, did not laugh.
They were well seasoned t
o the disbelief of their quest by others
.

“I am afraid we have a bit of a misunderstanding here, my brave friends. Freemoore and your
dwarven
cousins are to the north, this way
now, daylight is wasting
.” Sir Jardayne pointed north as the laughter died down.

“I know it, but I have no cousins in Freemoore.
And I s’pose some apologies is in order then, as ye have been so very gracious to us and all.” Zen stood up, and looked down at Tubrey, up to Jardayne and Codaius, then to his friends right behind him.

“I do not follow. Sir Jardayne, what is this all about then?” The Bear of Evermont furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Seems our brave heroes have an alternate path, lest this joke is a bit longer than I would hope.” Jardayne looked at the five companions, stoic and serious, all of them.

“Aye. Tis no joke, Knight General. And, if I may ask your silence and secrecy on the matter?” Zen received nods from the knights and Tubrey and half the little minstrels gathered.

“You may and I shall honor it.
Though here in the middle of two cities, we are far from prying…
”

“
That too, was intentional.”
Zen hung his head.

“I see.” Jardayne looked hard to the dwarf before him.

“
Somewhere in those mountains,
curselands
ye call em
, is a city. In that city, be a dwarven realm and m
ines lost long time ago they tell
. Tis a bit of a long story, for the five of us here
anyways
, but it belongs to me family
o’ Thalanaxe
. Though, I am but the last o’ that line. So, we been in journey since south in Chazzrynn, to find it.
Me friends here did not know it when we met, but me fathers dyin’ wish was that I take our family birthrights and bring us honor.
And here we are.
That be the short o’ it then.
” Azenairk let out another deep sigh.

“This is no joke then?”
Sir
Codaius was still confused.

“Naye, no joke. If we wasn’t hunte
d by about every wicked agent n’ creature for it, and a relic the minotaur had, well, we woulda been upfront with ye’. Afraid that everywhere we go, we been followed, and still likely is. We decided not to stir up trouble n’ rumor in yer city, so we had to hide a few things. Me apologies on that then.” He felt awful inside, Evermont had treated them like kings, the Shans had entertained and loved them, and here he had to part ways in a fashion he would have otherwise seen done in better form.