The Highborn Legends: Shadows of the Past (Chapter 1)

    Raeff Mortenis snapped awake with a scream and bolted upright in his bed. His body was covered in sweat and his muscles ached with tension. His skin felt like it was on fire as his head pounded in time with his racing heart. Leaning over his bed he wretched violently, spilling a puddle of sick onto the floor of his small room. As his aches began to fade he rolled back into his bed, lifting a shaking hand to his forehead and pushing his hair back out of his face.
    A soft shuffling sound drew his attention to the far corner of his room where a pair of glowing yellow eyes stared back at him. They belonged to a cat-like creature, about the size of a small horse, that lay watching him with concern. The creature had long, pointed ears and a powerful, sleek body that was covered in bright, reddish-orange fur. It’s long, tufted tail swished back and forth in the air, giving off a soft, yellow light that danced with its movements.
    “It’s okay, Aizo,” Raeff said to the pyron. “Just another bad dream. I’m fine now.”
        Aizo stared back at Raeff for a few moments before yawning widely, displaying two long fangs in a mouth lined with smaller, vicious teeth. He lowered his head again and lay it on his front paws, his eyes still watching his friend closely.
        Raeff pushed his sheets off of himself and swung his legs over the edge of his bed, careful to avoid the puddle of sick, and let the cool night air wash over his burning skin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember anything about this latest dream. As always the images seemed just beyond his recollection, as though he were trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. Just as he felt himself remembering some small detail it would slip away, fading into darkness. For nearly two weeks now he had been plagued by these horrible dreams, each leaving no memory of themselves save for the aches he felt upon waking.
        He opened his eyes and found Aizo still watching him, his yellow eyes unblinking in the darkness. “Knock it off, Aizo. I’m fine,” he said, annoyance prickling up in his voice. As if to prove it he stood and stretched his arms above his head, groaning as his shoulders popped and his muscles finally relaxed and settled in place. He began stretching this way and that, working out the last few aches that still lingered, and loosening the knots that burned in his muscles.
        Raeff Mortenis was small for a fifteen year old boy, his head barely reaching the shoulders of other boys his age, but was lean and agile. He was quick and sure-footed, comfortable in his own body and able to perform a score of acrobatics that would have dizzied most people. He had shoulder-length black hair that always hung in his face, gray eyes the color of storm clouds, pale skin and soft, delicate features. Although he was a handsome boy and generally easy-going, he had few friends besides Aizo.
        Realizing that sleep wouldn’t be coming back to him tonight, Raeff hurriedly grabbed up the bucket of water he had washed with last night and cleaned the mess on his floor. With that done, he crossed his room and pushed open the shutters of his only window, hanging the bucket out of it and dumping the dirty water to the ground below. The view that greeted him through the portal was one that never failed to impress.
        A little ways above him was the sweeping green canopy of the Ironwood forest, its leaves rustling softly as the wind blew through them. Far below was the forest floor, still hidden in shadows this early in the morning. The real sight was all around him, in the branches of the surrounding trees.
        Dozens of neat, little homes were nestled here and there throughout the large Ironwood trees that made up the village of Haven. Rope bridges hung across the largest divides in the trees, connecting this group and that, while wooden platforms connected the homes built into the same trees. Each tree also had a large, spiraling ramp that curved and snaked around the trunk to the forest floor. Here and there a small, flickering light blazed in the dark, marking the window of another villager who was getting an early start to their day.
        It was necessity that had driven the first settlers of Haven to build their homes in the powerful branches of the Ironwood trees. Foremost had been that, try as one might, there is no way to chop down an Ironwood tree once it has reached maturity. Their wood is as strong as metal, hence their name, and once they reach their full height their bark hardens to a smooth armor that no mortal weapon can scratch. They can, however, support immense loads with their branches, and thus provided a safe place to build. It was for this reason that the founders of Haven had foregone clearing a massive section of the forest and instead taken to building within the trees themselves.
        This had also provided the village the ability to stay hidden which had been the driving force behind its creation. To the north of the forest was Porellium, a land torn by war between the forces of the Blackthorns and the rebel group known as the Loyalists. Nearly all of Haven’s inhabitants were refugees from Porellium, some of whom were innocent victims of a war they had taken no side in while others were branded traitors for their support of the Loyalists. If any of them were discovered, their fate would be a swift execution.
        Here, though, all were welcome, regardless of their origins or their past mistakes. The village had only a few simple rules; all were treated equally and all had an equal voice in matters of the village, everyone worked together to help the village prosper and, perhaps most important, the village took no sides in the matters of the outside world. It was these laws that had guided Haven and helped it to grow and flourish, despite the dangers of the forest around it.
        Raeff turned from the window and began to get dressed, pulling on a pair of pants and a tunic. He fished his shoes out from under his bed and hurriedly pulled them on, brushing off the fine layer of dust and dirt that had clung to them from the previous day. Lastly he fastened a thin belt around his waist, tucking his small dagger into it and pulling his shirt down to conceal it. Whistling to Aizo, who rose quickly and took his place at his companion’s side, Raeff stood and exited his room.
        A small flight of stairs led down into the main room of the home he shared with his mother. Aizo followed behind him as he made his way through the dark house, his glowing tail giving just enough light to see by. The main room of their home was decorated sparsely, designed for function more than comfort. A small stone hearth sat against one wall, two simple chairs sitting in front of it, with a small bookcase on it’s right, it’s shelves lined with the dusty tomes and scrolls from which Raeff had been taught to read as a young child.
        An old table, it’s finish now faded and dull, sat in the corner of the room, a small bowl of fruit and a loaf of bread placed upon it. Raeff crossed to the table and snatched up an apple, tucking it away for later, and ripped a hunk of bread from the loaf, nibbling on it as he moved towards the door. As he turned, a flicker of light drew his eyes to his mother’s chair before the hearth.
        Crossing over to it, he found what had caused the flicker of light. A picture, sealed in a frame of silver and glass, had reflected the glow of Aizo’s tail. The picture showed two people, a man and a woman, holding each other and smiling brightly, obviously deeply in love with each other.
        The woman was small and beautiful with long, red hair, sparkling green eyes and the same pale skin and soft features that Raeff himself posessed. The man was tall and handsome, with long black hair that was tied back into an intricate braid and the same storm cloud gray eyes as Raeff. Each of them had a hand resting on the woman’s belly, which was just starting to show the bulge of a life growing within her. So far as Raeff knew, this was the only picture of his family as a whole. It was also the last picture the two lovers had taken before their world had changed forever.
        Raeff had been raised by his mother, Tesla, who was a kind woman, well-liked within the village and adored by the children she worked with at the temple. There was something about her that likened her to everyone she met, easily forming friendships with even the most closed off person. It was a trait that Raeff sometimes wished he had inherited. She was happy with their life here in Haven, as was Raeff, but he had never seen her smile like she was in this picture. Although it had never been said in so many words, Raeff was sure it was because of his father.
        Argo, his father, had been gone for as long as Raeff could remember and, although Tesla insisted he wasn’t, Raeff believed he was likely dead. It had been years ago when Raeff had finally worked up the courage to ask about his father, but he would never forget the pain he had seen on his mother’s face when she had told him what happened.
        It had all started when the Blackthorns had risen to power. The kingdom was changing, gripped in a civil war that left hundreds dead and even more homeless. Hoping to protect their unborn child, Tesla and Argo had joined with a group of refugees and fled into the west, soon finding their way into the Ironwood forest and settling in the area that would soon become Haven.
        The first few months had been hard as the refugees struggled to learn how to survive in their new home. The Ironwood forest was known for its dangers and proved itself a difficult land to tame. Beasts roamed the wilderness, striking back at those who sought to push them from their homes. Insects brought new sicknesses while snakes struck with venom-filled fangs that killed in moments. Even the plants of the forest proved to have their own defenses, as vines and creepers would snatch up those who strayed too far into their domain, dragging them beneath the earth to die in terror. In time, though, they had learned the ways of the forest and Haven began to prosper.
        It was nearing the middle of that first summer when Tesla had given birth to Raeff. Argo had been there with her through the whole ordeal, soothing her through the pain and sharing in the excitement of welcoming their son into the world. Raeff could still remember the smile Tesla had worn at telling this part of the story. Her face had shone with a joy that burned away the dull gray of the years between Raeff’s birth and her telling of it. But the smile soon faded as she continued her story.
        Mother and child soon fell asleep, exhausted after their long day. When she awoke the next morning, it was to a cold and empty home. She had searched the village for anyone who knew of her husband’s whereabouts and soon found one man who claimed to have seen him leaving the village in the dead of night, loaded down with supplies. Tesla had waited for him to return, never giving up hope that he would come back to her. Days stretched into weeks, weeks turned to months, and months turned to years, yet she never gave up her hope that she would see him again one day.
        After telling her story, Tesla had insisted that Argo would never abandon his family and that he must have had a good reason for leaving. Raeff, however, had been unconvinced. As far as he was concerned Argo had walked out on them, too cowardly to face his responsibilities as a father. That alone would have been enough to cause Raeff to despise his father, but the loss and sorrow he saw painted on his mothers face each time she looked at this picture was more than he could bear.
        Raeff winced as he realized he had been holding the picture frame so tightly that it had begun to bite into his hand. Setting the picture back down on his mother’s chair he hurriedly crossed the room and pushed his way out the door, eager to escape the painful memories the picture had forced to the surface.
        Outside, the morning air was cool and refreshing. Raeff gripped the banister of the spiraling ramp, hearing the wood creak softly as he squeezed his anger into it, and took a deep breath before exhaling it slowly. He willed the breath to take the flame of his anger with it, as his mother had taught him to do when he was young.
        As long as he could remember, Raeff had struggled to keep control over his temper. He had not been a bad child, never seeking out confrontation, but neither had he ever backed down from a fight. He was willful and stubborn, a trait Tesla often pointed out he got from his father, desperate to prove that he could take care of himself and had often found himself acting on these emotions sooner than thinking. It had all been minor things though, until one day shortly after his eleventh birthday.
        A boy by the name of Traver had been at the heart of the whole thing. He was a Warforged, a few years older than Raeff, and had arrived in Haven shortly before the incident. He had been found wandering through the forest near the Outpost, tired, hungry and alone. After regaining his strength, he had been brought to Haven and given residence in the orphans home.
        As with all new arrivals, his story had circulated through the village quickly. His full name was Traver al’Torrin, a member of the one of the lower clans of Porellium. He had been born in Edensbarrow, a part of what was now called the inner territories, and had lived there with his family for the past fifteen years. It had all come crashing down, however, when rumors had begun to circulate that his family was secretly supporting the Loyalists. Assassins had been sent to execute his entire family and, only with the aid of a small group of loyal soldiers, Traver was the only one who had managed to escape with his life.
        They had traveled across the kingdom in hopes of bringing their young master to the hidden village of Haven, which had earned a few rumors of its own by then in the Outlands. After finding their way into the Ironwood forest, the group had been set upon by a pack of Abominations, terrible creatures that lived within the caves and tunnels of the Black Spine. Once again, Traver was the only one to survive. During the attack he had fled into the forest, not stopping until his legs gave out from under him. For nearly three days he had wandered the forest before eventually being found by the members of the Outpost.
        After hearing his story, Raeff had asked to accompany his mother to the orphans home in hopes of meeting the young man. Tesla often worked with the orphans in Haven, helping them to adjust to their new lives and to deal with loss of their families. It was for this reason that she had been going to see Traver that day.
        They had found him alone in the boys room, sitting in a chair and staring out a small window at the surrounding village. It had been a beautiful spring day, the kind where people can’t help but be infected with cheerfulness and good nature, but the carefree nature that had been prevalent throughout the village that day was absent inside the quiet room with Traver. His misery and loss had been a tangible thing in the room, hanging over his head like a blanket. Tesla had told Raeff to wait by the door, approaching the boy and kneeling to speak privately with him first.
        It was here that Raeff’s memory of that day failed him. Whatever had happened in that room had ended with him waking back in his own bed, his body aching and his mind clouded, with his mother sitting beside him looking drawn and haggard. Her right eye was swollen shut, covered in an ugly yellow and purple bruise, and her hand shook as she reached out and rested it on his forehead.
        “Raeff…?” she had asked, her voice shaking nearly as bad as her hand. “How are you feeling?”
        “Mom… What happened to you? Who did this?”
        Tesla had breathed a sigh of relief and smiled weakly, wincing in pain. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Everything’s fine, now. Can… can you remember anything?”
        “I… I don’t…” Raeff had stammered, trying to think back on the day and finding nothing. His mind was filled with white light, blanking out anything that had happened after they arrived at the orphan’s home. The harder he tried to remember the brighter that light grew, until he felt his eyes watering behind their lids. “No,” he had finally said. “I can’t remember anything.”
        Tesla smiled again and Raeff thought he saw something in that look. Relief? She leaned down and kissed his forehead, brushing his hair back out of his face.
        “Mom,” Raeff asked, “Who did this to you? Please tell me.”
        She didn’t answer right away and, when she did, Raeff wasn’t ready for the answer.
    “You did this,” Tesla said, reaching up and touching her tender eye. “It wasn’t your fault,” she quickly added as Raeff started to interrupt her. “It was an accident, plain and simple. I know that and you should know it too. You lost control when Traver… Well, you were pushed to it is all.”
        Raeff couldn’t believe what he was hearing and shook his head, trying to grasp what she was saying even as his mind shouted it couldn’t be true. He loved his mother. She was all he truly had in the world. He couldn’t think of any reason that would drive him to strike her. Tesla hurried on to tell him that he had lashed out at Traver and that she had been caught in the middle, trying to stop the two boys from fighting. Afterwards he had passed out and been brought back home. After telling the story, Tesla had taught him of the wind and the fire.
        “Everyone has a flame that burns within them,” she had said, tapping a spot just below her breasts. “It is a flame that burns the hottest when our emotions run their strongest. You’ve felt it before, haven’t you?” Raeff had nodded, remembering how, on those occasions when he lost his temper, it had always seemed to boil up from the center of him. “Our flames, like all fire, burn stronger with the wind and will die when that wind is taken from them. When you feel your flame growing too strong, and feel as though you will lose yourself to it, draw your breath deep and hold it within your chest. When you exhale, take the air that feeds the flame and let your anger dwindle with it.”
        It was this lesson that Raeff now heard echoing in his mind as his anger began to ebb away. Aizo nudged Raeff’s cheek with his cold nose, snapping him out of his daydream. Although he felt like he had only been there for a few seconds, Raeff noticed that the sky was beginning to brighten with the days light. Far below, a number of villagers were moving about the forest floor, going here and there about their daily business. How long had Raeff been standing there, lost within his own mind?
        Reaching over and stroking Aizo’s head, Raeff pushed this thought from his mind and turned away from the railing. Aizo stared at him, giving another soft, rumbling purr as he pushed his head into his friend’s chest.
        “Come on, Aizo,” Raeff said, pushing Aizo’s head away gently, “let’s go find something to take my mind off all this. I think I’ve drudged up enough bad memories for one day.”

Reviews

[Mariah Kristen]

Again, a few typos but nothing another proof reading wouldn't fix. I think that you struck the right balance for history and action. I'm wondering who and what Raeff's father is. I'm curious to find out what happened during the incident and when something similar will happen again. I want to know what his dreams are about. And I'm satisfied with the amount of back story. Much more in one chapter and I would have been bored. I'm ready to read some action after this and learn a bit more about Haven through Raeff's eyes.

The only thing that bugged me is that the cat creature does not have a name as a species and it's description seemed a bit overdone.

[Jeffrey Allen]

Actually, there is a name for the species. It's called a pyron. It is only mentioned once near the start of the chapter (“It’s okay, Aizo,” Raeff said to the pyron. “Just another bad dream. I’m fine now.”) but it's there. I get what you mean about the description being a little long winded but I was just trying to make sure it could be visualized. I'll definitely work on tweaking that up a bit though. Thanks again for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[RobbieT]

I think you did a really good job on this chapter. The characters really came to life here as well as the struggle these people had undergone. One thing I personally would like to see is a little splurge discussing more of the early history of Haven either in this chapter or one in the future. It could just be me but learning about the worlds and their lore is the best part of fantasy novels.

[Jeffrey Allen]

I'm currently working on the next chapter and I have been working to find the right place to work in the legend of how the world came to be. It's just proving to give me a little bit of trouble. Once I get it posted I would love to hear what you think of it though.