Chapter 8

Chapter 8 (S2P3)

        Fantastically carved with a very understated subtlety, the barracks of Valenoch's elite guard was a reflection of its' inhabitants duty. Every scrap of wall was etched in shimmering detail, set in shimmering relief the sea of runes were only visible when the light him them just so, setting fire to the otherwise somber locale. The entry way was a large pillared hallway laid with a gorgeous eastern rug embroidered with flights of RavenGuard descending into an epic battle scene above the walls of Valenoch. The quality was superb, the detail exquisite, but no gold or silver thread glinted through this masterpiece. Instead the raven's wings were laced with mithril and darksteel. Strong, yet flexible with an edge that never needed a wet stone's care they did not shiny with the brilliance of gold or silver, they shimmered with an eerie glow that subtlety said more than words ever could express that all walked with care in these hallowed halls.

        The rooms themselves were quite different from each other, each showed a distinctive flair. Some were tapestried and furnished with polished oak in the western style. Others adopted eastern silks and screens masked by the heady perfume of think incense in the air. Some few, usually the dwarfs and barbarians, adopted the northern love of hides. These few apartments were strewn with deer and bear skins and the occasional wyvern hide. Even fewer still were decorated in the southern style of woven furniture. These few rooms were covered with horsehide and chairs woven of the coarse grass of the south western steppes. Only one carried the living furnishing of the great forest. This particular abode had grown through the ceiling and branched into the courtyard in various places. It was the only place in all Valenoch that trees would grow and it was perhaps Leoric's favorite place within the city walls. He had asked Kal'Thurion many, many times how he managed to keep his quarters in such spectacular health whilst every horticulturist in the land had thrown their hands up in disgust at the near instant withering of all vegetation in Valenoch.

        Generally he shrugged in response or offered wild speculation that generally degenerated into laughter or frustration. Once, Leoric had gotten him extremely drunk with a great deal of difficulty. This one rare occasion had elicited an answer that he suspected was nearer to the truth than any magical explanation could provide. “Hiccup, they just like me I think.” These words made far more sense than any of the myriad of other possibilities postulated to explain the odd forest sprouting from the northern tower of the citadel.

        The moment Leoric stepped through the hanging vines that served as a door he felt at peace immediately. The door itself had long since been consumed by the creepers branching into the hallway in search of more space to grow. Most appreciated the greenery and there were few complaints save form the masons assigned to Kal's apartments, of which there were many. Every wall was covered in greenery and even the ceiling was vine encrusted. The soft smell of loam permeated the air and the gentle perfume of wild flowers reached his nostrils as he searched for the ever blooming carpet of them he knew existed somewhere within. The walls and ceiling were hopelessly cracked and the place looked like an ancient ruin long since overgrown with time. Immediately in front of him stood a massive oak that was a dear old friend, it was the first of Kal's children and he remembered well when he had planted the acorn in a soft patch of dirt brought from his native homeland. Leoric had chuckled and asked him how big he thought it would grow, Kal had simply smiled his shy smile saying it depended how long he could survive being a Raven.

        The room had begun the same size as every other Raven's, but over the last nine centuries it had taken it upon itself to expand into a sizable grove consuming at least seven or eight apartments. The remains of their walls served to create a sense of space within, as each room was unique and cultivated for a different use. One contained nothing but flowers and was absolutely intoxicating. It was an overload of sensation to Leoric's sensitive nose and he preferred to stand several rooms away and just catch the hint of the treasure trove of sensations within. Another was stranger still, the trees within were woven together in such a way as to create an odd bed involving several trees that grew sideways before righting themselves and breaching the ceiling. Across the bizarre trunks a soft coating of moss and loam provided a far better mattress than Leoric's own feather bed. In the next room there was a beautiful little vegetable garden containing every fresh bit of greenery he could think of it, complete with a small path meandering through the completely disordered and tantalizingly tasty treasure trove of vegetation. Another room had a similar collection of vegetation, but instead it contained only spices, but oh the spices it held. It too was a dangerous overload to Leoric's nose and he much preferred the vegetable room. Another area held the orchard, it couldn't really be dubbed a room as it was the remains of three such rooms, a result of one of Kal's neighbors asking if he thought he could add some fruit trees. It had been a fantastic success, so long as the room being destroyed in the process wasn't considered a problem. The man had loved the orchard and had stayed within the room despite the overgrowth until the end of his days, he was now one of many faces atop a pillar in the great square.

        Leoric missed him still, a good son and a better friend. Despite the pain of memory he loved the orchard, he could spend hours beneath the trunk of his son's tree and let the world around him be forgotten for a time. The chatter of song birds recalled him from his gentle reverie and he meandered into the main room filled with the oldest of the oaks. He followed the song birds trilling to find Kal playing with several turtles in what had once been his tub. It had long since become a pond of sorts. He had gone to great pains to convince several masons to widen and expand it over the centuries and it now was of a moderate size. As such Kal was always looking for new things to add to his pond or his home, this was curiously reflected in a great variety of fish within the pond and some very strange vegetation growing in scattered pockets throughout the grove.

        Kal himself was currently laying beside his pond basking in the moonlight streaming through his much expanded and utterly cracked as well as hopelessly overgrown window that was now more of a skylight and or balcony. The masons had long since abandoned attempts to halt the progress of Kal's quarters and now had adopted a “reinforcement” strategy, as containment was impossible. Their efforts were evidenced by the massive support struts cleverly concealed as a balcony below his apartments. They strained under the weight of the giants growing above them and were long since covered in moss and small bushes that had found the arcing buttresses in search of sunlight.

        Leoric set down his heavy boots that he had removed when he entered, preferring to feel the loam between his toes. He also unclasped his heavy greaves and set them next to the boots on a rather oddly shaped rock beside the pond. He gently deposited himself nearby, moving slowly and deliberately so as not to started Kal's friends playing happily in the pond. He amused himself by watching them contentedly for a time until the exhaustion of the third night without sleep began to sing its siren's song to him. He softly plopped down in the warm undergrowth and leaned against one of his favorite trees. Kal turned slowly, displaying his usual greeting in the form of a slow smile that held the wisdom of ages beneath its youthful guise. Leoric let down his guard and returned the smile, relaxing as he lapsed into sweet oblivion listening to the song birds happily playing.

        Dawn's gentle rays cast Kal in a warm glow. He could have been a simple villager, a relaxing shepherd reclining peacefully. He could have been simply rising from a morning nap in the mountains with no cares to distract him from tranquility and peace. He could have been. The calm morning wind decided at that moment to deposit his auburn locks haphazardly about his bare chest. Impossibly cast in forest hues he seemed to blend into the vegetation around him. His eyes glittered between emerald green and a soft orange brown as the light slowly shifted from twilight to full dawn. He yawned and stretched, allowing more of his features to become visible. His form appeared almost human, but not quite. There was a certain whip thing litheness to him and uncaring grace that always set him apart. His ears had a certain slant and sharpness to them that seemed to just barely escape from his unruly hair, fine little pinpricks in his shaggy mane. His eyes had a gentle tilt as well and his face held a crisp angularity that wasn't quite human either. He showed no trace of a beard and as far as Leoric could recall Kal had never betrayed so much as a whisker upon that perfect face. Perhaps he had never wished to deface his perfect countenance with the perpetual stubble present upon Leoric's visage.

        Many women had fallen into the throes of rapture at the sight of Kal and Leoric had always wondered if that beautiful face had been the reason for Kal's need to find asylum here. But Kal had never asked about Leoric's past and despite his burning curiosity, Leoric did not make a habit of breaking tradition. Especially since he had created that particular one himself. He had often found a pretty face to be more trouble that it was worth for the owner. A millennium of refugees had taught him a number of interesting truths such as this.

        Kal then unceremonious dunked his head in the water and shook it like a shaggy dog. After which he turned and happily said, “ah thats better, breakfast?” whilst pulling an earthenware jug from some invisible compartment in the loam beneath him. From it he produced an interesting array of nuts and dried fruits from which Leoric heartily partook. Even the food tasted better here. Leoric reclined in silence happily munching whilst Kal prayed and performed his morning exercises. Aside from a journey to the privy, Leoric simply relaxed and let the grove's calming influence infuse him. Time continued on without his presence and eventually the afternoon sun reminded him that his duties had been neglected long enough. He rose and thanked Kal in his own quiet way.

        “Any time you need me I am here old friend.” he responded knowingly, his eyes suddenly betraying the ancient soul within his appearance of some twenty odd years.

        With grim determination Leoric resumed his stone visage, donned his armor, and returned to the world of man.