Guardian_Rise of the Nature Walker Read online

  “Khuj, you’re too old for a tutor now,” Sath said. “You have mastered the lessons she taught you and you need to move on because you have much to learn as heir to the throne.” He tousled the fur on the top of Khujann’s head. Khujann scowled and rubbed his eyes. “I think it’s time for bed now, son, don’t you?” The Prince yawned and nodded, heading out the door. He paused, one hand on the ornate doorknob, and looked over his shoulder.

  “Aunt Kahzi knew I loved her, Papa. She knew you did too. G’night Papa…G’night, Kahzi,” he said, then left the room. Sath sank back down to sit beside his sister’s body.

  “He’s a good kid, Kahzi,” Sath said. “I owe a lot of that to you. The boy needed a mother, and you were about the closest thing he could have had – and the best, absolutely the best.” He pulled back the sheet enough to take one of his sister’s hands in his own. Her fingers were algid and unyielding, but he held them tightly as though trying to warm them. “Your death will be avenged. The sorceress and the wizard will hang in the streets of Qatu’anari, and the druid…Gin…” Sath squeezed his sister’s cold fingers one last time. “I will deal with Gin. I know you were fond of her, and I will be fair, I promise you.” Replacing her hand, Sath covered her back with the sheet, and then called for his guard. “Have my sister’s body taken from here and prepared for burial,” he said when they arrived in the doorway.

  “Yes, my Lord Rajah,” the guard said. Hulan came through the door behind the guards who were gathering up Kazhmere’s body and carrying her out.

  “My lord?” he said, coming close to Sath and taking a knee.

  “Do recover yourself, Hulan, we are old friends. There is no need for that formality now. What is on your mind?”

  “My lord…Sath…who… is responsible for the death of Lady Kazhmere?” Hulan asked, his voice unsteady.

  “Directly? The sorceress called Tairneanach, companion of our former nanny, Gin. Indirectly? The wizard called Taeben...because of our Gin,” Sath responded, snarling slightly.

  “What is your plan, Sath?” Hulan asked, his eyes brightening at the prospect of a fight.

  “Gather a small squad together. They will hunt and capture this Tairneanach and the wizard, Taeben. I will follow Gin. She will not interfere in my punishment of the sorceress and the wizard.” Sath cracked his knuckles so loudly that even Hulan flinched. “Find them and bring them here for public punishment. Go now, and I will find Gin and keep her out of the way. Once you have the others, I will bring her here to the palace. I will deal with her on my own,” he said. Hulan nodded and turned on a heel to leave. “And one more thing, my old friend,” Sath said, putting on massive hand on his old friend’s shoulder. “Kahzi loved you very much, you know? One of the worst arguments we ever had concerned the fact that she couldn’t pursue you - romantically - because of her position in the royal house of Qatu’anari.” Hulan turned to face Sath, eyes wide with surprise. “I wanted to say to you, now, that I was wrong. You would have made a fine husband and brother in law, for you are already like a brother to me. ” Hulan looked at his Rajah, puzzled. “I am sorry, old friend,” Sath said. “Can you forgive me for keeping you and my sister apart? Will you accept the title of Prince Regent, and come live in the palace, as you should have as the mate to my sister? I can always use more eyes on the Prince as well.”

  Hulan reached forward to embrace Sath, clapping him soundly on the back. He nodded into Sath’s shoulder, completely overcome with emotion and unable to speak. Sath returned the hug, and when they parted, he felt the prick of tears behind his own eyes. Finally. “Off with you now,” Sath said, “before I have you arrested for a personal assault on the Rajah.” Hulan chuckled sadly and headed for the door, clapping Sath on the shoulder as he went.

  Sath took a deep breath and then walked over to the desk, carefully stepping over the bloodstains still present on the marble floor. He put out the candle, and then silently turned to leave the throne room, heading for his chambers. He was already planning his route to the Forest. All that was left to do now was to pull out his black armor and set off into the night. Upon reaching his chambers, he opened the trunk that contained the black armor. Running his hand over the breastplate, he grimaced a bit at a stray piece of something resembling tanned leather that had was caught in between the front plate and the strap.

  Sath pulled one of the special greaves over his arm. He flexed his hand, and deadly claws, far sharper and longer than his own, sprang from the knuckles of the gloves. He watched the glint of the torchlight in the claws for a moment, and then continued putting the armor on in place of his royal garb. Once each piece was securely strapped into place, he walked over to the weapons cabinet that stood only a few paces from his enormous bed. Opening it, he removed a staff that began humming and vibrating with magical potential as soon as his hand closed around it. “Your days of deciding for me the path of my actions are done, Gin,” he said as he held the staff at the level of his eyes. “Once this is done, you and I will be done…as will my time as Rajah. Long live Rajah Qa Khujann of House Clawsharp.” The words bitter on his tongue, Sath swung the staff up into the loop on the back of his armor where it stayed when not in use, took one last look around his chambers, and then headed out of the palace and toward the coast.

  Five

  Gin trudged alongside Taeben. He had magically transported them to the Volcanic Mountains, and was now headed for an entrance to a cave that served as a temple to Lady Kaerinth, progenitor of the dragons and dragonkind. Marked clearly on maps and spoken of in whispers, the temple was thought to have been left in ruin after the dragonkind rebelled against their dragon masters, but Taeben was certain that it was still there. Just like the dark side of the world, the temple was a place that had seen many adventurers - they set out to explore its depths and never returned home. Thus were the relics left from the Forest Wars, dotting the landscape. It was widely known that the Fabled Ones were the first to escape the Western Tower, and now it was forbidden for adventurers - thanks to their tales of the inhabitants within its walls.

  The temperatures were frigid; snow squalls billowed and swirled around them as they walked. Gin could no longer feel her fingers or toes as she pulled her cloak closer around her shoulders. Taeben had ignored her request for fur lined boots. She flinched as they came close to some wyverns that seemed to be guarding the path up to the temple, but noticed to her horror that they seemed to incline their heads in respect to Taeben as they passed.

  “They seem to recognize you,” she said. Taeben didn’t respond. Gin placed her hand on his arm, thinking he hadn’t heard her over the roaring snowstorm. “Ben? How do the wyverns know…?”

  “You may not address me so informally here,” he snapped, yanking his arm away from her and drawing it back, ready to strike. “Don’t make me…” Gin held his gaze, and his voice trailed off as his hand fell back at his side. She let out a breath that she didn’t realize she’d been holding and he turned back to continue his frenetic pace up the hill to the temple entrance. Scrambling to keep pace with him, Gin’s eyes narrowed as they entered. “Remember Bellesea Keep, my dear? Home of Lord Taanyth, mate to Mother Kaerinth?” he asked, chuckling. “We were both prisoners there, but that time is past. We are free now, you and I. Well, one of us is anyway.” Gin murmured something very untoward about Taeben in Qatunari as she trudged along behind him. “Remember the Embassy on Qatu’anari? A little haven, wasn’t it? We can recreate that here, in the Temple to the Mother. We will be just as happy here as we were there, at least for now.”

  “I was brought unwillingly to Bellesea, thank you, and as for the embassy, I was alone there most of the time. Haven indeed,” she said, casting a withering glance at the back of his head. “I don’t know what makes you think I would be happier here than I was there.” She was trying not to show him how afraid she was growing with every step, but her resolve was failing her as her mind went back into the history they shared. Trying to recall memories of their childhood was a futile exercise.
Gin sighed. The Ben she had grown up with was gone, completely wiped out by the power-hungry wizard that was bowing and murmuring to the young drakes as they moved through the first chambers in the temple. She was happy, at least, that her fear was pinpoint focused on what she would have to endure there and not of him. She would never be afraid of HIM again.

  “You weren’t alone, my love. You’ve never been alone, even when you ran away from me. I told you I would always find you. I don’t know why you don’t believe me.” Taeben paused in front of one of the staircases leading off the rotunda. “After you, my dearest, down we go,” he said, and Gin obediently moved in front of him and started down the stairs. The sight of one of the dragons, beings she had been told no longer existed, gave her pause, but she continued. He lowered his head almost to the green marbled floor as she drew closer, Taeben right behind her.

  “Welcome, Mistress Ginolwenye, friend to all dragon… kind.” His voice sounding like rumbling thunder. “It has been many seasons since Lord Taeben has come here, and we are pleased that he has brought you along this visit.” She thought that he might have been smiling at her, but with that many teeth it was hard to tell. He was not much bigger than Taeben, height-wise, but his body was all in proportion. She let her gaze follow the smooth scales down his neck to his broad shoulders and wings. He was an amazing creature, and Gin could see why her ancestors both feared and worshipped the dragons. But how was he here? The dragons were all gone, weren’t they?

  The inside of the Temple was breathtaking. Gin had been raised to revere the memory of the dragons and dragonkind with a healthy amount of fear thrown in for good measure, and had been so shocked to hear from her brother that their parents and grandparents and ancestors had been allies with these strange and beautiful creatures. Their alliance had begun during the Forest War, and her ancestors had served as ambassadors for the Forest to the gargantuan creatures and others who sought peace. Taeben moved in front of her and she followed him obediently, inwardly glad that she could look around without angering him.

  A tingle ran up the back of her neck and she swatted at it, thinking something had hopped off the wall and onto her shoulder as she passed it. Finding nothing there, she shook her head to clear it. Was Taeben trying to push back into her mind? No, she did not sense him there. Apparently he had given up on the mind control – but something was there. She just couldn’t put her finger on what. An overwhelming sadness surrounded her, but she pushed it away. No sense lamenting something she could not change. She was his now, on her own terms, and she could only hope to make the best of it. It would all be worth it as long as those she loved remained safe.

  The marble pillars that supported each floor sparkled in the torch light. Gin looked up above her, amazed at the design of the structure. The main staircase spiraled up from the ground floor - wherever that was - and wound its way all the way up to what Gin assumed was the surface of the Mountains. The cave where they entered was just a stop along the way, about midway up to the top that was so far away that it was almost out of sight. The temple had been made to resemble the Mother Dragon’s path up and out of the rock that made up the Volcanic Mountains, tracing the way that she and all of her young had emerged from the heart of Orana. She felt a nudge against her arm and found the dragon looking at her expectantly.

  “Sorry,” she said, smiling through her fear. The dragon moved closer to her and she reached out a tiny hand to touch his nose, which she found to be surprisingly soft and warm in spite of the scales that covered his body. As he nuzzled her hand gently she found herself wishing that there was a way she could warn him and the other dragons in the temple that she needed help without alerting Taeben. Taeben cleared his throat loudly, obviously annoyed at the familiarity between Gin and the dragon. Sadly, she took her hand off his nose and continued down the stairs as Taeben moved aside and let her pass in front of him. The dragon nodded, inclining his jade colored head to Taeben as he passed.

  “Stop here,” Taeben said from behind her, and she did as she was told. She was at the bottom of the staircase facing the immense marble pillar at the center of the room. “Go sit down by the pillar.” She frowned at him, moved over to the pillar and sat, resisting the urge to press her cheek up against the cool stone. Taeben’s apparent jealousy of her moment with the dragon had made her angry, and she was certain her face was bright red. Another small dragon, whose skin was as deep green as the most polished emerald, glided into the room and hovered just in front of Taeben, his head inclined slightly in veneration. Gin wondered if they were all green, and if they were all related, and again wondered how they were alive at all; everything she had ever known was that the dragons were no more after the Forest Wars. “Now, most revered friend,” Taeben said, addressing the drake, “if you and your kin would be so kind as to keep an eye on our Gin while I run a few errands?” Gin’s gaze flew to Taeben’s face; her own expression filled with apprehension at the prospect of being alone with the dragons. “I have brought her to you for I know this to be the safest place for her. There are those that would harm her, and I know that you will keep her secure.”

  “With our very lives,” the dragon replied.

  “Don’t go anywhere, love,” Taeben said chuckling. “I’ve got a quick errand to run, and then I’ll be back to take you to visit my Master at the Keep.” He smiled down at Gin, spoke words in Elder Elvish, and vanished in a circle of fire.

  “Mistress, if I may,” the dragon said, taking a step closer to her, “are you well? While I am not that familiar with your kind, you seem…sad.”

  “You are kind to ask. I think I am just adjusting. Many things have changed,” she said softly as she crossed the room and again stroked the mythical creature’s nose. She could feel Taeben in the back of her mind once again, trying to recover ground as well as control. She was unsure as to how much he could hear, and she did not want to give him reason to be angry with these amazing creatures. “I was…not myself before, and I am sad to admit do not have much memory of the time that I was with Lord Taeben before or if I have ever visited this beautiful place with him before. I am sorry for that.”

  “It is wise,” the dragon said as he nuzzled into her palm. The overwhelming sadness overcame her again, the same feeling that she had dismissed as her own earlier, and she struggled to avoid alerting Taeben. “You have visited before with him, my Lady, and your time here before was difficult, due to troubles with the Rajah across the ocean, according to Lord Taeben anyway. We will be pleased if you have an easier time of it now.” He picked his massive head up and leveled it with hers, his amber eyes burning as he met her gaze. Gin’s head felt swimmy, and she found that the buzz that was Taeben’s constant presence lessened somewhat. She looked at the dragon quizzically. “There is something all of my kind wish me to make sure that you understand, my Lady. Please know that you are one of us. We knew of you before Lord Taeben brought you to us. Your blood, your ancestry, they call to us. We that are servants of the First Brood of Kaerinth are ever grateful to the other beings in our world who work to unite dragon kind with the other races, as we were in the beginning. Your parents were such chancellors, members of the so-called Guardians, who came often to our Mountains as well as to Qatu’anari to discuss plans to heal our world after the Forest Wars nearly destroyed us all.”

  Gin’s jaw fell slack as she stared at the dragon. “That’s why they were on the mission when they were killed…”

  “Yes,” the dragon replied. “We are always saddened at the loss of another member of the Guardians and the loss of your mother, the Nature Walker, was a difficult blow. But that is why we were so happy to see you the few times Lord Taeben brought you here. We hope that you will take up the work begun by your parents, Gin. We hope to welcome you into the Guardians as the new Nature Walker.”

  Gin stared into space for a moment and the dragon moved closer, his leathery green wings fluttering as he landed next to her. It was almost too much for her to take in – her mother was the Nature Walker?
How was that possible? The Nature Walker had been gone from Aynamaede for ages. And to think that her parents were part of such an important line – a line of guardians that would die with her, here. As the dragon carefully surrounded her with his wings, she looked up into those burning amber eyes and found them comforting rather than fearsome. “I cannot,” she said. “I am…not at liberty to decide my fate, you see.” The dragon tilted his head to one side. “Oh, if only I spoke Eldyr,” she muttered. “I’m not sure how to explain it to you in the Common Tongue.”

  “Just try, Mistress,” he said. “While it is apparent that you do not know how to make the bond with me for communication, I am fluent in many languages, including the language you and Lord Taeben share, Elvish, as well as the language of the Qatu. Would either of those be easier for you?” Gin nodded. “Well then, continue,” he said in Elvish. Gin smiled at him, impressed with his knowledge. “I sense that you fear that he will hear what you tell me – and do not worry, I have taken precautions.”

  “You will have to explain that to me later, this bond of which you speak, and how it keeps Taeben from hearing us. But first, I had no idea that my mother…was the Nature Walker? Can you explain that?”

  “How have you had no knowledge of this?” The dragon looked at her, puzzled. “It is not possible!”

  “I knew that our people once had a leader, the Nature Walker, who kept the peace between our people and the high elves of Alynatalos. It was said that the Nature Walker had the power of our Mother Sephine and her mate, Kildir, at his disposal. We know that he disappeared after the Forest Wars and his daughter assumed the mantle, but after that we were taught that the line ended. How is it that my mother…”