DAWN OF THE PHOENIX Page 23

  She laughed. It was the first time she had laughed in so long that she almost forgotten how.

  “Why are you always tending to the horses, Rufio? The others are up at the house drinking the ale Vandarus brought back.”

  The Dragitan started rubbing her horse down. “Horses are like women. If you don’t pay them attention, they will find it elsewhere and that could cost someone their life. They’re also better company than most people.”

  “I don’t know if I like being compared to a horse, Rufio.”

  Rufio tried to hide his grin. “I meant no insult. If you were a horse, Endra, every man in my old cavalry regiment would have been fighting to ride you.”

  She shook her head at the Dragitan. “Rufio, you are a sweet man. No matter what everyone else says.”

  The Dragitan laughed out loud and continued brushing the horse.

  Endra was tying her hair back with an old piece of leather when Kian walked in.

  “I think I will go get some of that ale Vandarus brought back,” Rufio said. The horse soldier patted Kian on the shoulder as he walked out.

  There had been no chance to talk or be alone since the fight on the road. Rhys had just told her this morning that she could get out of bed and her leg would be fine. Endra was not a timid woman, but the moment was awkward.

  “You are beautiful,” Kian said.

  “I’m just clean and not dressed in chainmail. Besides that, the first time we met, you told me I was beautiful when I was drenched in sweat and covered with blood.”

  He walked close to her but said nothing, his eyes took in every curve of her body and every feature of her face.

  “What are you looking at, is something wrong?”

  “I just want to remember this moment.” Kian looked deep into her eyes. “I love you, Endra Korlest. I have since the moment I saw you.”

  She reached out and laid her hand on his cheek. “I love you too, Kian Cardan, it is as if my heart has to love you. I can’t explain it.”

  “You don’t have to, I feel the same.” She leaned towards him and closed her eyes.

  “There you are, Mother, we’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  They both took a step back as Payton, Vinsant, and Tressa all walked into the barn.

  “Kian said we could look at his sword,” Payton commanded.

  “And hold it too,” Vinsant added.

  “I did tell them they could, if you don’t mind, of course.”

  Endra nodded her approval. It warmed her heart to see that the children had taken to Kian so well, they had not had anyone but her for so long.

  Tressa walked up to the half-elf. “Kian, how you shag a horse?”

  Kian looked at Endra for help.

  “Tressa dear, where did you hear that?” she asked.

  “Cromwell told Rufio he must be shagging the horses, because he spent all his time with them.”

  Endra look at Kian and he just shrugged. “Tressa, don’t ever repeat anything Cromwell Blood ever says.”

  Kian covered his mouth to keep from laughing. She looked at him and could not help but smile.

  “All three of you run along. Kian and I will be there in a moment.”

  Tressa ran out singing and the two boys kicked the dirt, disappointed they had to wait.

  Endra took Kian’s hands in hers. “I guess the rest of our talk will have to wait until they go to bed tonight. We can go to the stream I found today.”

  “Where is it? I could use a bath too.”

  “Half a league to the north, you can’t miss it.” She gave him a quick kiss and hurried out of the barn.

  “How’s the bite doing?”

  Vandarus looked over to see Rufio walking up from the barn. “Both of the healers worked on it. I’ll have a nasty scar, but it’s almost as good as new.”

  “What are you looking at?” Rufio asked.

  Vandarus sucked in a big breath air. “It’s good to be home, Ruf. I thought I would never see Bandara again. Isn’t she beautiful?”

  Rufio looked around. “It is truly, if you’re a farmer.”

  Vandarus put his hands on his hips. “These farmers carved out one of the biggest and richest kingdoms in the world.”

  “It’s not even close to the size of Dragita,” Rufio said

  “Well, we didn’t build it with fire, blood, and crucifixion, my friend.”

  Rufio grinned. “That’s true, the emperors of Dragita were not very subtle in the way they acquired land.”

  Vandarus squatted down and picked up a handful of rich soil. “Are you still set on following K’xarr and the others?”

  Rufio smiled. “Yes, now more than ever. Why? Have you changed your mind?”

  Vandarus shook his head. “No, they just make me nervous. K’xarr is headstrong as well as ill-tempered, Cromwell is like traveling with a talking bear, and the half-elf is crazy. You saw what he did on the road.

  “I just don’t want to die for something foolish. We also have a bunch of children with us now. Don’t get me wrong, Endra is as good a warrior as any of us and she is not hard on the eyes either, but riding with mercenaries is no place for children and there is still the fact the Church is hunting her.”

  “You’re right, Vandarus. I won’t argue with that, but I think they have decided to keep Endra and the children for now. I know Kian has. Don’t worry, things will work themselves out. K’xarr is no fool. ”

  Vandarus stood up and dropped the dirt, brushing his hands off. “I know he’s not, but I think I might be.”

  They both watched as Kian rode out of the barn to the north; he waved and smiled as he passed.

  “Well, there he goes. I would say he’s going to have a rough night. Say goodbye to the half-elf, Vandarus.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Endra’s leg is healed and she took a bath this morning. By tomorrow that half-elf will be replaced by a man.”

  Vandarus laughed. “He might have bitten off more than he can chew when he rides that mare.”

  Rufio snickered. “I bet it is her that does the riding, and if I were you, I wouldn’t ever let Kian hear you call her a mare.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it. You were right, Rufio, he is a killer and it takes little more than an unkind word to set him to it. I will say this, though, he is one lucky half-breed when it comes to women. I have never seen a more beautiful woman than Endra.”

  Rufio tucked his hand into his sword belt. “I agree with you, my friend. Now let’s go get drunk and you can tell me what a great farmer you are.”

  Vandarus ran his hands through his thick blonde hair. “You know what, Rufio?”

  “What?” the Dragitan said, throwing his arm around the Bandaran’s shoulder.

  “You’re a horse’s ass.”

  Kian hung his sword on his saddle and tied his horse to a small bush. He walked down to the water and stood at the edge, mud squeezing between his toes. Wading in, he found the water only waist deep. It was cool and felt wonderful. Endra had found a nice place. A few scattered trees stood along the bank of the small creek and the water was not too muddy.

  The creek ran through the grasslands, bringing life to the crops and livestock of the Bandaran farmers. Kian knew little about farming but he thought that this would be a good place to build one.

  He was very anxious about tonight. He had never been with a woman before. Today had been his first kiss other than his mother and a few of the women from the Heavenly Hole when his was just a boy.

  He hoped he would not disappoint Endra. His inexperience with women worried him. He thought of asking K’xarr or one of the other men, but decided that would be a very bad idea. No, he would just let nature take its course and hope for the best.

  He didn’t think he had ever been this happy in his life. He had prepared himself for the life of an outcast, to forever be alone in the world, but now he had friends and a beautiful woman that said she loved him. If he could find his family, life would be perfect.

  Moveme
nt caught his eye. Siro stepped from behind a tree. “The water is wonderful. Are you here to bathe too?” Kian called to the healer.

  Siro pulled his robe up a few inches and made his way to the edge of the creek. “No, I am not here to bathe, Kian. I’m here for you.”

  “What’s wrong, has something happened?”

  “Yes, there was an attack on the farm, more knights, you must hurry.” Kian splashed out of the creek. Still soaking wet, he pulled on his pants. The little healer patted the half-elf on the back, and Kian felt a slight prick. He turned in time to see Siro taking a ring from his finger.

  The healer took a couple of steps back. Kian looked at him, confused. His head felt strange and he was dizzy. Siro had poked him with something. He tried to move but his legs had become rigid, and his arms fell to his sides too heavy to hold up. He dropped to the ground, unable to move at all. He could see and hear, but his voice was gone.

  Siro rolled him over on his back. The ugly man looked down in his face. “You made that very easy for me, thank you. Oh, I bet you are wondering what has happened to you. Don’t worry, you’re not going to die, but you won’t be able to move for a few hours.”

  Siro stood up and pulled an amulet from beneath his robe, clutching it in his hand. Kian could see he muttered a few words into it under his breath.

  A figure appeared from nowhere, covered from head to toe in a black cloak with the cowl pulled up so Kian could not see the face.

  Siro bowed. “Master, it is done.”

  The man spoke, and his voice sounded as if he were being strangled. “I would have preferred if you had done this at night, Siro. You know the sunlight depresses me.”

  “I’m sorry, Master, but I thought this would be a good time. He was alone and unarmed.”

  The man walked over to Kian’s horse and drew the half-elf’s sword from a scabbard that hung from the saddle. He looked at it then thrust it into the horse’s side. The beast reared and broke free, running back towards the farmhouse with blood pouring from the wound.

  The cloaked figure walked back to where Kian lay, holding the sword by the middle of the blade. He held it above Kian and spoke a word. There was a flash in the palm of his black-gloved hand and the sword shattered into pieces. Tears of fury leaked from Kian’s eyes. Gildor’s sword was gone. Anger swelled within him, but try as he might, the swordsman could not move.

  “You won’t be needing that,” the cloaked man said. “Siro, it’s time for you to come back. I have finally acquired everything we will need.”

  “Very good, Master, I have been very eager to get started.”

  “Take my hand, Siro.” The healer did as he was told. The cloaked man reached down and grabbed Kian by the hair, lifting his head and shoulders off the ground. All three disappeared without a sound.

  It was dark and there was still no sign of him. They had found his dead horse a few hours ago lying in the grass not far from the farmhouse, but no Kian. His clothing had been found, folded on a small tree stump, but the most disturbing discovery was the remains of his sword. No one could figure out how the elven steel had shattered like that. K’xarr and Cromwell were still walking the banks of the creek, looking for any other sign of the half-elf.

  Endra was by far the better tracker of the group. She had tracked every kind of animal there was in Sorrack. She easily had found the two sets of tracks besides Kian’s on the bank of the creek, but the tracks led nowhere. It was if they had just vanished. Endra had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, something strange had happened here.

  K’xarr came walking back and Cromwell waded across the creek from the other side, both of them looking very concerned. “There is just nothing, Endra,” K’xarr said.

  Cromwell sloshed up out of the water holding his hand over his stitches. “I still think it’s strange we can’t find Siro either. You think maybe he had something to do with it?”

  K’xarr looked downcast. “It is possible, I suppose, but how would he have taken Kian?” He looked to Endra. “I just don’t know where else to look. It’s dark. We aren’t going to find anything tonight.”

  Endra grabbed his arm. “Please, we have to keep looking. He could be in trouble, and he could need help, K’xarr. I won’t abandon him. Rhys is watching the children at the house, so I’m not going to stop looking.”

  “Okay, we’ll keep going.”

  Endra hugged K’xarr. It was all she could do not to cry. “Okay. Okay. Calm down, we’ll round up Rufio and Vandarus and start again.”

  Cromwell looked out over the grasslands. The moon was full and bathing everything in silver light. He owed Kian his life and Torans paid their debts. “Where could you be, my friend?” he said to the night.

  The feeling was coming back to his limbs and he could move again, if not for the chains holding him to the stone table. Kian’s head was still fuzzy. He knew one moment he was on the bank of the creek, the next he was inside a building of some kind. They didn’t raise his head when they arrived so he had seen little before he was put directly on this stone slab and chained down. The man in the cloak had left the room, however Siro had stayed. The ugly healer had drugged him, but why?

  Kian could see Siro out of the corner of his eye, taking something out of a huge glass tank of dark liquid. It was fleshy, pale of color, and the size of a large dog. He could tell it had once been an animal of some kind by the scaly tail that dangled from its lifeless body. The little man put it onto a metal table and covered it with a wet sheet.

  The thing that concerned him the most was the growling sounds of an animal behind him. He couldn’t see what it was, but it sounded big and upset. He still couldn’t really speak yet, but he didn’t think it would be much longer. Sounds came out now when he tried. Kian needed to speak. He had many question for the little healer.

  He looked around the room and saw it was made of stone blocks and it felt very cool. He was naked and gooseflesh pebbled his body. There was one door, but he didn’t think the room had a window. He heard a door open then close and the man in the cloak that had brought him here was standing beside him. In his strangled voice, he said, “I will ask you this but once: will you join me voluntarily, Kian Cardan?”

  Kian found he could speak, but it came out as little more than a whisper. “I don’t even know who you are.”

  “I am the Dark One. I am a sorcerer of no small power. Join me, for I have need of a swordsman with your skill. I promise you power beyond your wildest dreams.”

  Kian turned his head as far as he could to look at the Dark One. The wizard’s face was still hidden within the cowl of his robe. It was as if he spoke to evil itself. The wizard seemed to exude cruelty and malevolence.

  “I will never join you. I know evil when I see it. You may have destroyed Gildor’s sword, but not his teachings.”

  “Ah yes, Gildor, your trainer and mentor. I met him not long ago, he died screaming.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Kian said, his voice high with emotion.

  “Well, it is unfortunate you don’t believe me. Now I will have to show you I speak the truth.” The man stepped away from the table. When he returned, he carried a pole with Gildor’s rotting head on it. “Now do you believe me?”

  Kian strained at his bonds with every ounce of his strength and tears flowed from the corners of his eyes when he shut them. He could not bear to look upon the old man’s severed head.

  “He was like a father to me. Why would you kill an old man that had done nothing to you?”

  “I thought a reunion was in order and he would not come with me willingly, so I brought you the next best thing.”

  Kian’s mind screamed in anguish. He didn’t want to show weakness, but he could not help but weep. The only father he had ever known was dead.

  The Dark One set the pole with Gildor’s head against the wall. “I didn’t think you would join me, and after I spoke with the old man, I was sure of it. So I have devised a way to change your mind, but first you must be made worthy to
serve me. Your skill with a sword may be…provocative, but you’re still too weak and puny, not to mention insolent. Siro and I will see that your failings are corrected.”

  “Whatever you do, I will never serve you.”

  The Dark One stepped behind Kian’s head. He heard a low growl and the sound of creaking hinges. The Dark One walked back into Kian’s line of sight, leading a massive black panther. The great cat easily stood four feet at the shoulder.

  “Don’t worry, I have charmed the beast. He won’t eat you.” The Dark One’s throaty chuckle made Kian’s skin crawl. “My magic is very powerful and Siro is a most accomplished vivisectionist, as well as a gifted necromancer, so you shouldn’t worry. I have the upmost confidence in the success of our little experiment, and you will be a better man for it.”

  Siro giggled. “Better man, you are very funny, Master.”

  The Dark One looked over to his accomplice. “Shut up, Siro. Is the heart ready?”

  “It is and it’s viable, just like you said it would be, Master. It’s better than we could have hoped for. All I have to do is remove it from the creature’s corpse.”

  “Good, let us begin. Now, Kian, I wish I could tell you this won’t be painful, but it will be. The process may take a few days and I’m afraid I must use my magic to keep you awake the whole time. It’s the whole suffering thing, you understand.”

  Kian struggled against the chains, but it was hopeless. The sorcerer raised his arms and spoke a word. Kian’s body began to glow with silver light. “You may precede, Siro.”

  The little necromancer came to the table with a small, oddly shaped knife. He started cutting at Kian’s throat and didn’t stop until he reached the half-elf’s groin. Siro carefully laid the flesh back on both sides and inspected his work. Kian could hear himself scream. He wanted to pass out, but the wizard’s magic would not allow it. Then the true pain began as the vivisectionist started sawing through his ribs.

  They had searched all night and found nothing. Mist lay across the grass like a big white blanket as the sun tried to creep into the sky. Endra could not stop her mind from imagining the terrible things that could have happened to the man she loved.