Chapter 08: The Blackturner's Bane

Chapter 8:  The Blackturner’s Bane

 

Alora stumbled through the town dodging vendors, thieves and other town urchins.  She entered a tavern, The Sleeping Dragon.  The tavern was a moderate place, a single fireplace burning in one corner, the bar in the back and tables occupying the rest of the bar.  The only light in the whole tavern was the fireplace which cast a soft light on everything.  At the bar she made her order before finding a place to sit.  As soon as she sat her whole body began to quiver.  “Milady, are ye well?”  The keep questioned as he delivered her drink.

“You fool, it is not your job to question my health, it is your job to serve your customers!”  She snapped at him, her voice sounding as demented as her fathers.  “I suggest, for your own health, that you do your job and only your job!”

“My apologies, milady.”  The keep bowed before he walked away, mumbling about her as he left.

Alora sighed, and sipped the dark liquid from her mug, as she set it down her hand shook causing her to drop the mug onto the ground, its shattering echoing throughout the tavern.  Everyone turned to look in her direction, but she did not notice.  At the same moment the mug dropped so did the rest of her body.  Her eyes were tightly closed, and her breathing became ragged.

“Som’en help des woman!”  One of the tenants hollered.

 

Running.  Alora found herself running through the woods.  Behind her was nothing that could be seen except an endless sea of trees.  Ahead of her was the same endless sea, but something about it was different.  There was a shadow looming ever closer.  She could not see what was within the shadow, but wait was that a glimmer of metal she just saw?  She knew not where she was, nor who she was, but there was something familiar about this place, almost as if it called out to her.  “Gorec?  Dyorn?  Lyra?  Is anyone here?”  Her voice echoed through the forest, coming back to her in different tones.

“WHERE IS EVERYONE?”  She yelled as she bolted straight up from the bed she was lying in.  The cold cloth that once adorned her forehead smacked against a wall before slowly falling to the floor.

“I am right here.”  The priestess said, in a soothing voice.

“Where am I?  Who are you?”  Alora’s questions came out, the first with a normal tone while the second came with a bit of fear.

“I am Maye Flæyyer.  I am a Priestess at the Temple of Firære[1].”

“Temple of Firære?  What am I doing here?  How long have I been here?”

“You were brought here from The Sleeping Dragon.  As for your third question, you have been here a fortnight.  At the time I would have given you four more hours until your body quit, but you amazed me as well as everyone else.  It seemed that as soon as you got here you were cured.”

“A fortnight?”  She struggled to leave her bed, but the surprisingly strong grip of the priestess kept her in bed.

“Do not move so quickly, you could injure yourself.”

Alora groaned, than laid back down.  “You mean to say that I was dying and yet the moment I was inside of the Temple I miraculously regained my health?”  Alora questioned.

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.  Strange is it not?  It was almost as if an artifact had caused your pain.”

“An artifact?”

“Yes.  Some artifacts have the strength to cause discomfort in a person.  The closer you are to it the stronger the effects.”

“I must return to The Sleeping Dragon.  If it was an artifact that almost killed me than I need to find it.  It is important to a friend of mine that it is found.”

“In good conscience I cannot let you return.  I have yet to reason why you fell so ill and until you do I must contain you in this temple.”

“No, you do not understand.  That artifact is important…”

“Yes, all artifacts are important.”

“No!  Are you dense?  It is not important to me but to my friend.  He needs it to settle an old score.”

“Magical items are not to be used for revenge.”

“You are dense.  This is not for revenge.  It is a matter of life and death for a lot of people.”  Alora sighed.  “How would you feel if everyone in this Temple, and Entantium, was to be killed yet you knew where the key to save them is?”

“It would hurt me very much if that were true.”

“It is true, just not in Entantium.  Four others and I just arrived in Entantium from Dragonia.  Our home is in jeopardy from a very wicked man.  That artifact that affected me so is the only thing that can help us to save our home.”

“That cannot be so.  I have heard tales of the Andros line, whom I believe are still in power, and the Emperor can handle himself and his kingdom.”

“That is just the case.  Emperor Andros is no longer in power; a man by the name of Kagain Blackturner has overthrown him and is threatening to kill everyone.  I know this artifact is just the one.”

“How do you know?”

“The artifact is called The Blackturner’s Bane.  It will affect Kagain as it has me.  I am his daughter.”

“If you are his daughter, than why do you wish to help Emperor Andros to destroy him?”

“Because my father has wounded me in many ways.  Dyorn, I mean Emperor Andros, needs my help now so he can stop my father.”

Maye sighed and closed her eyes, chanting something under her breath.  After a few moments she opened her eyes again and looked to Alora.  “What you speak is true, though you leave out many important things.  Emperor Andros and his wife are here as well.  If you would have told me this I would have had no problem letting you go.  Now that I know you do not wish to harm the Emperor of either nation I will release you.  But, remember this Alora Blackturner, very soon you will do what you most fear.”  She turned and motioned to the door.  “Also, he is watching.”

“Who is watching?”  When Maye failed to reply Alora pulled herself out of the bed and made her way out of the temple.  “Who is watching me?  More importantly where is that forest I saw.  If the Bane was affecting me from The Sleeping Dragon than I must start my search there.”  She said to herself while working her way to the other side of town, and the Dragon.

When she entered the keep smiled to her, and offered her a seat and a mug of ale.  “Feelin’ better are we?  Dats good to know, you almost dropped dead last time you were here.  If it weren’ fer me son you could be gone.”

“I thank you, and your son for saving me.  I am glad that you two were around when you were.”  She sipped her ale and sighed softly.  “I was wondering if you could tell me where something is.”

“Well, all be ‘pendin on what ye lookin’ fer.”

“Well, there is a forest around here.  A forest that harbors a shadow near the center of it.  I was wondering if you could tell me where it was.”

“Oh…there.  I not be telling ya where it be.  No one goes der…’less dey wish to join the dead.”

“Please, you must help me.  I know what awaits me there; it is a part of my family’s past that I must face.  Will you please tell me where it is?”

The keep sighed, and kept quiet for a moment or two.  “As ye wish.  But, don’ say I didn’ warn ye.”  Alora smiled.  “From here go east, three days walk ye be der.”

“Thank you very much.  Would it be possible for me to get a room for the night?  I have had a very bad day.”  The keep nodded and Alora sat a pouch of gold onto the bar top.  “For both of my drinks, the room, and helping me help another.”  She finished her ale and went to her room.

“Sleep well, my precious. You are close to your prize, yet do you have the will to bear the pain?  We are all watching waiting to see what happens.  Yes, it is quite a mystery to us all.  You have survived so far, and proven that love prevails but the next step is quite difficult.  Sleep well, my precious, until we meet again.”

Alora awoke the next morning, her grandfather’s words echoing in her mind.  When she sat up she saw the keep putting the finishing touches on the pack he was working on.  “G’morn, milady.  I be thinkin’ ye need food fer yer journey.”  He tied the pack, and stood up.  “I be leavin’ ye now.  Take care on yer journey.  I be wishin ye luck wit it.”

“Thank you.”  Alora said to him as he left her room.  It didn’t take long for her to dress, and hoist the pack onto her back.  Lastly she hooked her sword to her belt and headed out of the Dragon.

“Milady!”  The keep called to her, causing her to turn around.  “Please return after yer trip.  Der will be my finest awaitin.”

Alora smiled, and nodded.  “I will, and with all hopes I will have friends.”  She exited the tavern, and pulled the hood of her cloak up, making her way east towards the forest.

The three days went by quickly and as dawn broke on the fourth the forest loomed ahead, its own shadows intertwining with the retreating shadows of the night.  Alora sighed as she took her first step into the forest.  “The sword is here somewhere, but where?”  She continued to walk through the forest, her gaze shifting to both sides of her.  Every soft noise made her whole body tense, as if preparing for an attack.  Ahead of her a squirrel scurried past chattering its annoyance of her intrusion.  The sudden noise made her jump, and her sword slashed through the air in a matter of seconds barely stopping above the squirrel.  She chuckled to herself as she sheathed her sword.  “This forest is killing me.”  She turned and kicked a tree, causing a few leaves and branches to fall, a few dozen birds stormed out of the tree screeching at her.  “I must be close.  My father told me once before about how this sword would react towards me.”

“Yes, my precious, you knew how it would act.  But do you know why?”

“Grandfather?”  Alora looked around.  “Show yourself, you have betrayed my friends and me.  Why do you continue to do this?”

“I am trying to help you, my precious.”

“Help me?  By helping my father to destroy us?”

“No.  That is not my plan.  I am helping you to destroy your father.  Why else would I have told you about the one weapon in either realm that could do it?”

“What makes you think I will destroy my own father?”

“Simple, he is planning to destroy you.  He has already tried once to destroy Dyorn and Lyra, at the lake.  Did you not wonder why Lyra did not fight?  She is not as she seems.  Find the truth behind her words and you will find a traitor.”

“Why do you tell me this?  The Andros line has been your enemy long before they have been Kagain’s.”

“Be that as it may.  Kagain is now my only enemy.  I will help anyone it takes to put an end to his madness.”

“If you wish to end it, why do you not do it yourself?”

“My precious, have you not learned anything?  I can only appear as I am.  I put my soul into creating the Blackturner’s Bane.  When my body died my soul remained attached.  Until that sword serves its purpose, or is destroyed, I will remain as I am.”

“So it is up to me to destroy my father?”

“I cannot say as much, that sword will attack you as well.  No doubt you are already feeling its effects.”  Her grandfather’s voice fell silent.  “Hurry, my precious.  There is another in this forest whom seeks the sword for their own purposes.  Your father is close to claiming the sword as his.”  His voice began to fade away.  “Be quick.”

“Grandfather!  You never told me the swords purpose!”  Nothing answered her back except the faint sounds of paws snapping twigs.  She sighed, and continued her trek through the forest.  “I wonder who could be so near that he would run.”

Quicker she made her way through the forest, and before long she found herself running.  Running through the endless sea of trees.  Ahead of her the shadow of the forest began to clear, and yet grow darker at the same instant.  The sun finally burst through the canopy and down onto a shimmering alter.  The alter of onyx shone brightly as the light hit it, with a shimmering mahogany door.  Atop of the alter sat the crest of the Blackturner’s.  “Finally, perhaps now I can finally put an end to my father’s cruelty.”

As Alora approached the doors, and reached for the crest to open them, someone burst out holding something wrapped in black velvet.  As she saw the velvet package she fell to the ground, unable to keep her own balance.  Her blood began to boil as her body felt as if it had been dipped in acid.  The figure that burst out of the alter approached her, and looked down to make sure she was fine.

Alora opened her eyes finally, and caught a glimpse of who had exited the tower.  “Lyra, how did you get here?”  Shock filled her voice as Lyra grinned down at her.

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[1] Firære, the God of Fire and the Emotions of Flame.