The Unknown Man: Book 1 in The Keepers of the Orbs Series (30 page)

Sorry, I keep forgetting you can’t sense my presence. I will be more aware of that in the future.
He thanked her.
I wish to show myself and have a discussion with you
”

He rolled his eyes, but his face lit up, realizing he could see her. He hated that she always seemed so mysterious. She kept her answers vague instead of explaining what they were doing.
I have the watch, I cannot just go. You have to be aware of that because you can read my thoughts.

She laughed at him while he made his way to the road.
And you have to learn to trust me. I’m quite aware you have the watch. I waited until I felt sure everyone else had fallen asleep. I rounded the camp and traveled several leagues beyond. There is no one out there that will pose a threat to your party.

Tirene made his way back to the road and wasn’t all that surprised when he arrived and couldn’t see her.
I thought you were going to show yourself, but I don’t see you. What is your intent?

Calm down, I’m approaching you now. I suggest you back up.

He grew angry and felt confounded by her, but did as she asked and took a couple steps back. He peered both ways down the road and grew upset when he couldn’t find her. He heard a large flapping sound high in the sky.

He averted his eyes and noticed a large shaped silhouetted against one of the moons. He saw the large span of the wings beating through the air. He wanted to speak to her, but when he opened his mouth he found that he couldn’t. He watched as her shape grew larger, approaching him rather quickly. She approached so fast it looked like she would crash into him. She braced herself and buffeted her wings to slow her descent. He took a couple of steps back to give her room to land, awestruck at her sheer size.

He had never seen a Dragon before—at least that he remembered—and couldn’t believe one stood in front of him now. Her golden scales shimmered in the moonlight and cascaded down her back. She looked toward him and bared her lips in a smile, revealing her sharp teeth and her large tongue.

Now I see why you kept so many secrets, but you should know, you could’ve told me sooner.
He shook his head in amazement as he stared at her with large bulging eyes.

She laughed.
If I hadn’t arranged for plans to speed up your trip, I still wouldn’t have revealed myself to you, but I found it necessary and feel our bond is something more than I first thought.
She tried to make a chuckling sound, but it came out as a weak roar.
Time is wasting and morning will be on us before we know it.

He looked around the camp.
Time is wasting? Wasting for what?

I need you to trust me, even though I know you have no reason to do so.
He looked at her with suspecting eyes.
You’re about to pass through the lands of the Elves of Ferrindale. They won’t be accepting of you and may not let you pass. I’ve arranged to meet with the queen tonight, but I need your sword to prove to her who you are.

He scoffed.
I’m not going to give you my sword. Why would you think I would allow such a thing?

You have to trust me, Tirene. This will be the only way I can convince them. No harm will come of it, and you will have it back tomorrow when you meet them. I’m going to explain to them of the connection I believe you have with Lutheras. The magic in the sword should be enough to convince them you are who I say you are. Make a decision. Time is wasting
”

He thought about it for a moment. He did seem to have a connection with the dragon. He agreed if it would speed up their journey.

Where should I put it?
He asked her.

She had a tether wrapped around her neck and belly. She instructed him to attach the scabbard to it so she could still fly.

Who is Lutheras? Is that who is causing all of the trouble up north?
He asked.

We have more to discuss, Tirene. But now is not the time.

Frustrated, he nodded his head and watched as she flapped her wings and launched into the air. She soon disappeared in the black darkness of night.

I hope I’m making the right decision.
No time to second guess his decision now.

Jaeden woke up before the sun came up into the sky. He still needed to adjust to time now that they were out of the Dwarven tunnels. He awoke surprised he’d been allowed to sleep so long. He should’ve awoken hours ago for his watch. He started to get nervous about it, so he took a walk around the camp. He spotted everyone else asleep.

He wanted to wake Tirene and Liniana to see why he hadn’t been passed the watch when he heard,
Hello, Jaeden.
A female voice filled his head.

“Who is that? Where are you?” He looked around in confusion trying to spot the figure, but could see nothing.

Come to the road and your questions will be answered.

He drew his sword and walked toward the road. He backed against a tree, about to peek around its trunk, when the voice returned accompanied by laughter.
There is no need to try and conceal your position Jaeden. I’m very aware of you hiding behind that tree. Besides, if I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already. Now come out here to the road.

Feeling a little foolish, he rounded the tree and walked out to the road. He wasn’t expecting what sat before him. On the road lay a giant dragon with bronze-colored scales.

My name is Milenthia, Jaeden. I thought Tirene would’ve told you all about me by now. I took the watch to let you all sleep.

Jaeden realized he should’ve known. His mouth fell open and he struggled to close it; unable to believe a dragon sat in front of him. Despite his disbelief he continued to walk toward the creature, fueled by his curiosity.

She chuckled at him as he walked closer for a better view, putting his sword back in its sheath.
I think the time for my secrecy is over
. She looked at him with large golden eyes.
You’re a troubled young man. Why do you hold in so much anger? It cannot be good to walk that line.

He looked up at her. “How could you know about my
issues
with anger? What has Tirene told you?”

Tirene didn’t need to tell me anything. I can read your thoughts and it’s apparent you use anger as your way of coping. It’s all very troubling.

This, in and of itself, started to agitate him. “I’m not trying to cope with anything. If you don’t mind, I’m going to stoke the fire and I would rather just be by myself.” He turned and walked back toward the camp. He added logs to the hot coals and slumped down in front of the blaze. He no longer enjoyed being coached by anyone. It seemed like every day another person tried to tell him how he should or should not react, and it began to annoy him. He spent the rest of the dark hours alone, wallowing in his own self-pity.

Sun up approached as Tirene awoke from his slumber. He looked around the camp and spotted Jaeden sitting by the fire. He’d already started cooking meat for breakfast, and the smell made Tirene's stomach grumble. He let Liniana sleep a little bit longer and walked over to join the boy.

Jaeden noticed his approach and gave him a scornful look. “You might want to keep that dragon of yours on a leash. She was very rude to me.”

Tirene let out a very loud guffaw. “Good luck with that. She drives me crazy too, with her mind reading and speaking into my head. It can be a little unnerving.”

Jaeden smiled. This had to be the first time they agreed on something. “What is she doing here anyway?”

Tirene strode up and sat down next to Jaeden. “She decided to get involved in our plans, and took my sword to the Elves last night.” He turned to see if he could determine what meat the boy prepared in the pan. It looked like a sausage of some sort. It must have been dried sausage he somehow tried to rehydrate, because the pan had a large amount of water in it. He liked the boy’s initiative, but cooking wasn’t his strong suit. He should stick to combat, which seemed natural for him. He figured he would let it go, though. Jaeden seemed to be on edge as it was. “Is she still keeping watch on the road?” Jaeden nodded his head. “I think I’m going to go and check on her.”

He stood up to leave and noticed Matt and Aglina both awake and joking with one another as they made their way to the fire. Tirene left them to join Milenthia.

Matt walked up with Aglina, and they both took a seat. Aglina winked at Jaeden as she sat down, drawing laughter from Matt, who tried to conceal it with his hand. Matt leaned forward to inspect what cooked in the pan. He didn’t have the same restraint as Tirene and he made a comment. “What are you doing to those poor sausages? Cooking them in water won’t stop them from being dried.”

Jaeden laughed at him. “I know, but I’ve done this before and it worked pretty well. Before you make fun of me, you should try some first.”

Aglina wrapped biscuits in wet leather strips to warm them. Once they were bundled, she threw them into the fire like she had done in the tunnels.

They prepared the meal, and Tirene returned from checking on Milenthia. The beating of her wings could be heard as she took off and flew away from camp. Tirene noticed Liniana still slept, so he went over to wake her. He knelt down next to her and gave her a small nudge, while whispering her name. She rolled over and rubbed her eyes.

“Are you feeling refreshed?” He chuckled. “Breakfast is ready. I’m not sure if it’s edible, but it’s ready.”

Liniana jumped to her feet. “I cannot believe I slept so long.”

Tirene helped her roll their blankets and they headed over to join the others for breakfast. He told them all about meeting Milenthia. None of them could believe, except Jaeden of course, she was a dragon. They all requested him to summon her so they could look upon her with their own eyes. He told them they would have the chance in time. They all eagerly ate breakfast, and then prepared to set back out on their journey.

The sun crept closer to the eastern horizon, meaning nightfall would be upon them soon. Tirene didn’t see anyone, but Milenthia assured him they arrived at the correct spot. He dismounted his horse and peered around the thick forest surrounding the road. So far they were greeted by the silent lifelessness of the forest with no sign of the Elves. He wanted to question the dragon, when he spotted four Elves walking out of the forest. The Elves looked younger than the Humans, and were covered in strips resembling pieces of nature. They all had long bows, the largest he had ever seen, and they had them drawn, ready to be fired in an instant. On their backs they each had a quiver filled with arrows.

One of the Elves walked forward, his large almond-shaped eyes surveying the group standing before him. “You must be Tirene.” He waited for confirmation. “I’ve been asked to bring you to stand before Queen Pirphul.” He turned around. Tirene shrugged, grabbed his horse’s reins, and followed the Elf. The others took his queue and followed behind them.

They left the road and entered the thick forest laying to the south. Old trees huddled close together almost creating a wall; Tirene looked up to the thick boughs of the trees as they passed underneath. He spotted at least a dozen Elves perched on branches, watching the road. Tirene wasn’t sure why they felt so much security necessary, but then again, Elves were very mysterious and always stayed to themselves. They walked a long distance into the forest. The sun set now and Tirene felt thankful they had the Elves, and their keen eyesight, as guides. With all of the shadows, he almost stumbled into a tree trunk on an occasion or two. He looked back at the others, glad he wasn’t the only one.

They followed the Elves, zigzagging through the forest, and at times seeming as if they walked in circles. He hoped they would be kind enough to give them a guide back to the road because he had no idea if he could find his way back.

With the twin moons rising into evening sky, they spotted a few flickering lights off in the distance. Drawing closer, they noticed a small clearing with dozens of ramps leading into the trees. The flickering they spotted earlier came from lamps that were lit to mark each ramp. There were two lanterns per ramp, one on each side. They spotted several Elves standing and conversing, or busy going about their business.

Tirene looked up and marveled at the series of bridges laying above him. They had built their city into the thick tree trunks of the forest; spreading from bough to bough. Tirene spotted doorways in the trunks themselves. The ramps were roots winding their way around the trunks of the trees, as if on purpose.

The Elves led them to the largest tree trunk they had seen so far in the forest. The tree stood so wide that there were two paths up the tree trunk leading to different heights. They walked to the backside of the tree, as the Elf who led them started to ascend the ramp up into the tree. The three other Elves stood to the side of the ramp and motioned for Tirene and the others to follow him.

They wound their way dozens of times, climbing higher and higher. They reached at least a hundred paces into the air when the ramp leveled out and became a ledge. There were three bridges stretching in different directions and their guide took the bridge in the middle, and walked across it. They came to another ledge that turned into a ramp rising even higher. They must’ve been going to the queen because now there were Elves equipped with bows, stationed every dozen paces or so, watching the ground below. Tirene had no idea how they would discern what happened on the ground, because they were so far above it. Then again, Elves were renowned for their eyesight.

They once again reached a ledge winding around the trunk of the tree. This time they saw only one bridge. They made their way across it, no easy task with the wind blowing. When they reached the other side, they spotted a large opening. There were two owls perched on either side of the doorway opening into a large cavernous room. They followed the Elf through the doorway.

There were Elves, both male and female, lined up in two rows on either side of a high- backed wooden chair. The Queen, Pirphul, sat in a high-backed chair. As they walked into the room, she rose from her chair. Unlike the other Elves present, she wore a silver, flowing, floor length silk gown that hugged her neck. Atop the braid in her head sat a real crown appearing to be crafted of metal, but crafted in such a way it looked as if vines intertwined and circled, and a large diamond sat on her forehead.

She took a step forward and said, “Welcome, Tirene. I hope you haven’t found the journey to be too cumbersome.”

He bowed his head to her, before turning and raising a hand toward Liniana. “May I also present to you, Liniana, the daughter-heir of Havenbrook.” He turned to the Dwarf. “This is Aglina of the Ironhammer Dwarves. The other two men we picked up while on our journey. Jaeden here lost his parents at a young age and decided to accompany us to see the world, while learning how to be a competent soldier. Matt is the last gentleman; he found himself on a destructive path after losing his wife and child to a fire that devastated his home. He offered to come along with us, to be an aid in any way possible. So far his services have been invaluable.” As he introduced each of them, they bowed to show their proper respect.

She smiled at them as she raised her own hands. “I welcome you all to Ferrindale. Everything we have to offer is at your disposal.” She sat back down on her throne-like chair while she watched each one of them react.

Tirene stepped forward. “With all due respect, we would like to be on our way as quick as possible. Have you had a chance to examine my sword?”

She let out a laugh that rang through the hall, and then ignored his question. “You keep quite the interesting group of travelers with you. Tell me how you have come to have the daughter-heir as a traveling companion. And the last time I checked, the Ironhammer's despised the Human race. Yet one of them is with you, freely, as it may seem.”

He grew agitated. She played games with him and he didn’t feel like playing along. He didn’t have much choice though, as this lady was a queen. “Her father sent her to accompany me because he didn’t trust anyone else for the job. She’s here and of her own accord.” He turned to face the Dwarf. “As for Aglina, she took it upon herself to see us through the Ruvenkan Mountains. When we presented her with all of the same information we presented to you, she realized the truth in our story. When the Ironhammer council voted against us, she took matters into her own hands and led us out of the mountains using old military access tunnels. When we were on this side of the mountains, I gave her the opportunity to return to her home, but she opted to continue traveling with us instead.” She furrowed her brow at him. This had driven a dagger into her as he told them Aglina found the facts of their story to be credible, which elicited the exact response Tirene hoped for. “Have you finished inspecting my sword?”

She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands. “I suppose I do owe you an answer to your question.” She sat back and regained her regal look upon the chair. “The sword is as Milenthia claimed, crafted of Ruvenkan steel—presumably by the Ironhammer Dwarves. It was then enchanted, which could have only been done with a skill managed by the Ferrindale Elves.” She saw a smile creep on Tirene’s face as she revealed this. “The problem is, I’ve never seen this blade before, nor have any of the other Elves in this city. The sword appears to have been crafted to be used only by you. It has been discovered that if anyone else were to wield this sword in combat, well then the wielder would face dire consequences. It also has a name, in case you weren’t aware, it’s Narantha. While it would appear your story adds up to what has been told us already, there still seems to be secrets locked in that blade. I’m afraid we need you to stay here one more night so we can have more time to examine your sword.”