Sir Tiran Greyson

  I woke the next morning to the smell of eggs frying on a pan. I had to remember where I was for a moment as I took stock of my surroundings. Isker and Isdana had offered me a guest bed and while it was fairly empty it was well kept. I rolled out of bed and pulled on my tunic before I stepped into the main room of the cottage. Isdana was cooking in the kitchen frying some eggs, as I had guessed. Isker had a map laid out in front of him as he took down some notes in a journal. He barely looked up as I entered the room.

  “Tiran, good to see you awake! We let you sleep a bit longer, traveling can be exhausting and all that. You can help Izzy finish fixing up breakfast. I’m almost done with our route for today.” He said, tracing a line on the map.

  I walked into the kitchen and Isdana pointed to a cutting board and a bag of potatoes. She danced around the kitchen and was keeping several items going at once. I took my spot at the counter and did my best to stay out of her way. I did feel her watching me as I took up the knife and began dicing the potatoes. I had never been more thankful for Lady Greyson insisting that we all learn to cook.

  When I had finished she took the tray and poured them into a pan. She gave me a smile and laughed.

  “You might teach the Old Man a thing or two. Ask him to cook and he can barely throw something half decent together.” She said with a second laugh.

  I gave her a smile as we waited for the hashbrowns to cook. She slid a plate of eggs over to me and I happily ate as she turned back to the stove.

  “Is he that hopeless on his own?” I asked.

  “Only for taking care of himself. Everything else hes fine with.” She snorted.

  “Shouldn't that be one of the things he should know how to do? What did he do before you?” I asked, a small smile curling at the edges of my mouth.

  Her smile faltered for a moment and she whispered.

  “He had someone else. Someone who looked after him.”

  “Sorry. I didn't-”

  “You're fine. It's not taboo to speak of it. Just… ask him about it in the evening when he's had some drink. Gods know I have pestered him about it enough.” She said as she scooped hash browns onto plates.

  I followed as she walked out of the kitchen and handed a plate to Isker. He scribbled one more note in his journal before he slid the map over to us.

  It was well crafted and extremely well used. Hundreds of notes were scribbled about landmarks all across it. I could see the entire southern edge of the Scarlet Sands dotted with Villages and Xienna, Isker and Isdana’s village, marked in red. To the South I saw more notes beyond a mountain range that looked very similar to the way we marked troop movements back in Calanai.

  “Are you planning an Invasion?” I asked.

  “Not at all, preventing one more like.” Isker said as he scarfed down his breakfast.

  “From who? I thought that Xaranta and Mallak protected you all?”

  Isdana let out a laugh and Isker waved for her to explain while he ate.

  “Lord Xaranta is our Guardian, yes, but he is one who will retaliate, not be proactive in destruction. And Mallak, while an arrogant asshole, keeps order among the villages of the Southern Sands. The Kingdoms to our South view our lands as under their dominion and as the Dragons have not seen fit to raze their kingdoms to the ground, they do not view the Dragon’s threats of destruction as worthy of concern. So it is the Forged’s duty to guard our borders and drive off their scouts.” Isdana explained, sipping a cup of tea as she sat crosslegged on the couch.

  “So these people threaten your lands?” I asked.

  “They ask for tribute and sometimes try to establish strongholds in the mountains. For nearly three hundred years the Forged have been keeping them at bay so the people of our lands can live in peace.” Isker said.

  “Not that they show gratitude.” Isdana mumbled into her cup.

  Isker looked as if he was going to say something but I saw a flash of pain in his eyes and he stopped. He noticed me watching and a smile broke on his face as he pointed to the map.

  “So our patrol route for today will take us south to the base of the southern mountains. I thought I saw the beginnings of a stronghold there last week and with three of us it should be no issue to handle it. I try my best not to kill their people but accidents have been known to happen. Are you comfortable enough with that to participate in Tiran?” Isker asked, tracing the route as he spoke.

  “I can handle the violence of battle. But are three of us truly enough? I know we are stronger than most but…” I was skeptical about how much the three of us could do.

  “Between my sword and arrows and Izzy’s knife work we’ve scarcely had problems before. With you, I see it being even easier.” Isker said with a smile as he drained his cup of coffee.

  I nodded and drained mine as well. Isker and I made short work of the dishes as Isdana went to get ready. Isker was a kind man, or at least one who seemed to be. He reminded me of Sir Greyson from when I was still living with my birth parents, a friendly man who had boundless energy but the power to do what was needed when necessary.

  Soon we were standing outside their cottage and in our gear. My armor felt a little cumbersome in comparison to their leather and both gave me skeptical looks.

  “I don’t think it will be a problem today but we may need to look into altering your attire. That might be a problem on warmer days. But today is cool enough and we should be there before noon. Now then, Izzy, if you want to set our pace.” Isker said, gesturing to her.

  I expected her to start at a jog but I watched as she took off at a sprint towards the south. Isker gave me a smile and I took off after her. Within ten minutes I was working up a sweat and I could feel my body already groaning with the effort. Meanwhile Isker was blissfully keeping pace with me and Isdana showed no signs of slowing down.

  Isdana was Human, Right?

  It was a strange thing, I had not pushed my body to its limits since the Battle of the Basin but seeing how fast we were moving I still could marvel at it. We were running as fast as a Horse at a decent gallop at least and somehow Izzy was staying ahead of us seemingly unbothered.

  “Curious how she is doing that?” Isker called.

  I nodded.

  “Well she has been stubbornly keeping up with me for over two decades and her Father was a Forged. I choose to think she got some of it from him.” He said, watching her continue her pace.

  Watching her run in the morning light I was still struck by how pale she was. She looked as stark white as Irand but if she spent as much time outside as Isker she should be well on her way to skin as dark as mine at least.

  “How is she so pale if she does this everyday?” I asked.

  “Ah, her mother was from the Southern Continent, one of the so called Night Kin, and Izzy doesn’t seem to have inherited her magic but she does get her looks from her. Except her eyes, those she received from her Father. Zaeas had those same green… erm nevermind.” Isker growled as a strange look crossed his face.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  I didn’t press further as we continued on.

  It took us three hours to reach the base of the mountains. I was gulping down breaths when we stopped and Isdana turned to look at me and then glared at Isker.

  “You should have said something! We don’t want to kill him!” She said as she rushed over to me and handed me a water skin.

  I would normally have protested the attention but I was desperate for any kind of drink. I gulped down water as she undid the straps of my armor. The stench of sweat wafted off of me and I cringed as it hit my nose. Isdana seemed undeterred as she continued pulling off my armor and the cool mountain air hit me like a punch to the gut.

  “I thought he was fine. He didn’t say anything.” Isker said as he glanced at his map.

  “Because we both know people always say something…” Isdana growled.

  I saw Isker flinch as she said that and he walked a bit away from us.

  “Sorry.” I sputtered.

  “It's not you.” She said softly.

  “It seems like it is.” I said, handing her the waterskin.

  “No, it's… something that happened a long time ago. Catch your breath. I’ll have the Old Man take you to the Leatherworker this afternoon. This armor will be the death of you in the heat here.” She said, fanning me slightly.

  “Yeah. I… it was a gift. Sentimentality I guess.” I said between breaths.

  “Catch your breath, be ready to move in ten.” She said, a small smile on her face as she walked past me, letting her fingers brush my neck as she did.

  The effect did not help me remain calm.

  True to her word, ten minutes later she and Isker wandered over to me and Isker began calling out landmarks above us on the mountain. Eventually he pointed to a point a few hundred feet about a runoff ravine. I could see hints of movement on the cliff edge and occasionally flashes of metal glints in the sparse sunlight.

  “Thats our target. If they manage to build a foothold into the pass then it puts the villages in danger of attack. So we break their work and drive them off the cliff then make it impassable. Sound good?” He asked as he began to make his way into the forest on a game trail.

  “What kind of resistance can we expect? Do they use magic or anything out of the ordinary?” I asked as I tugged on my armor straps.

  “No magic, they do have alchemical arrows but I haven’t seen any use them in years. I heard one of the Forged crossed the mountains and sabotaged the gardens they grew their plants in.” Isker explained.

  “They were some nasty arrows too. Poisoned tips, tips that could eat through armor. I even saw one that could catch his blade on fire once.” Isdana said.

  They continued to tell me about the various alchemical innovations they had seen before and I had to doubt some of them but eventually we reached the end of their tall tales as we reached the cliff’s edge that we had seen below. It was about ten feet wide and it went up quickly and the drop went from ten feet to at least a hundred. I was glad that Ereneya’s home had trained me to not get wobbly legs.

  We made our way along the cliff edge quietly and we had the benefit of a blind turn leading up to them, so unless someone came around to look for us they wouldn’t know we were there until we charged around the corner.

  When we were at the corner itself I heard Isker scrambling up the wall behind us. I watched him crawl up the stone like a squirrel up a tree. Izzy pulled on my arm to continue and I followed as she drew her knives. I drew my sword and readied my shield.

  As soon as we heard an arrow fly, Isdana and I charged around the corner and found a carved out section of the cliff about twenty feet wide. Working on chiseling out the path were a group of dusty men and women who were currently trying to scramble backwards as one of their guards clutched his leg where an arrow was sticking out of his calf.

  There were six other men in armor who were drawing their weapons as they turned to face where Isker was standing on top of the rock wall he had climbed. Izzy and I charged forward while they were distracted.

  I caught one in the side of the head with the flat of my blade and another in the chest with my shield. Izzy leapt onto one’s shoulders I saw a flash of light as she threw a series of daggers into the legs of the other soldiers. The one who she had leapt onto was struggling to breathe as she squeezed his neck with her legs. I turned to catch his sword as he swung it towards her. The blade skittered out of his hands as he fell to the ground, red faced and gasping.

  I turned to the final soldier to see another pair of Isker’s arrows protruding from his legs. The soldiers were all lying on the ground and I raised my shield towards the stone workers who were huddled at the far end of their work site around a statue. Isdana stood next to me and watched them with the same confusion I had. We were both about to speak when I heard the snap of a bowstring and I saw an arrow land in Isdana’s chest, knocking her backwards as blood sprayed the ground behind her.

  I heard Isker yell before another set of arrows went flying and a man tumbled from atop a perch at the far end of the worksite. I was about to grab Isdana when the entire cliff shuddered and the statue the workers had gathered around began to move. It rose to its full height and I felt fear enter me as I stared at a stone soldier nearly ten feet in height, holding a club that was larger than my entire body. I heard Isker yell something as he dropped down beside me. The stone soldier charged towards us and I pushed him aside as he grabbed Izzy’s arm. I caught the Soldier’s club on my shield and I had to fight back tears as I felt something crack in my arm.

  It was worse than Argan’s strikes from our duel and the weight of it almost made my knees buckle.I yelled for Isker to get Izzy to safety before I swung my sword against the soldier’s waist. I channeled my magic into my blade and it glowed red. Which made it all the more disappointing when the blade only barely cut into the stone.

  I backed up as the Soldier tried to bring down its club once more on me and I saw Isker carrying Izzy over his shoulder as he ran back along the path. I backed up on the path and the Soldier charged after me, rearing its club back to swing at me. As I began to round the corner it swung and I only barely brought up my shield in time to catch the blow. The force knocked me sideways into the stone and I felt my head hit the wall as my vision went blurry and I sank to my knees. I saw the club rearing up again and in a moment of panic I slammed my hand into the stone beneath me and poured my magic into it. I felt the cold creeping into my body but the stone beneath the stone soldier glowed and its feet began to slip as it tumbled over the cliff edge. It grabbed the edge of the cliff but the stone broke under its weight.

  I watched it fall and the stone around me break as cold crept into my body. I couldn’t move as the stone cracked beneath me and I was sent tumbling. I didn’t feel anything I hit before everything went black.

  I awoke in pain. Lots of pain. My arm was screaming in agony. My head hurt like Ereneya herself had thrown me into a wall. Everything else ached with chill to the point of pain. I opened my eyes to see Isker kneeling next to me. We were back in their cottage. He was turned away from me as he tended to Isdana. He was pale and his eyes were wide with panic but his hands were remaining steady as he applied a bandage to her chest wound.

  “Sorry.” I croaked, my voice hoarse.

  He turned to me at the sound of my voice and I saw a mix of relief and rage in his eyes.

  “How do you feel? I did what I could for your head wound and your arm. The Healer told me that you needed rest. Mallak went to deal with that Stone Soldier.” He was speaking quickly. Far too quickly.

  “Everything aches. I think I used too much magic.” I coughed.

  He held a waterskin to my lips and I drank.

  “Thats what Mallak guessed. I only barely managed to grab you before you fell over that cliff.”

  “Sorry.”

  “You were supposed to run.”

  “I thought I could hold it off.”

  He looked angry but he couldn’t argue that. I looked over at Isdana.

  “How is she?” I asked.

  “She will likely pull through. She’s strong. I just… Poisoned. The arrow had a poison on it and I got her an antidote and managed to clean the wound quickly but…” He took a shuddering breath.

  “Did something else happen?” I asked.

  “I failed to save her parents. I can’t fail her too.”

  “Is that why she lives here?” I asked.

  Isker glanced towards me and gave me a long stare before continuing.

  “Her Father and I were close. Zaeas. We were… Mallak Forged us at the same time. And we lived here together. But the village requires everyone who dwells here to have one child to keep the population stable. Something the Dragons helped put in place. If the Mother or Father does not wish to have the child then the Village takes care of them. Zaeas chose her Mother, Noctira, and we… the three of us were here while she was pregnant and then after. I loved both of them but there was an attack and Noctira was killed while I was protecting her. Zaeas was shot with dozens of arrows and poisoned. But he didn’t say anything in time for us to save him. Because he was pulling my ass out of the fire like he always did. So I can’t lose her.” Isker rambled as he shakily covered Isdana with blankets.

  “Is that why she wants to be Forged?” I asked.

  “She wants the respect of it. Since she was raised here, separate from the village, she is viewed as something odd. Not to mention her appearance. She hates it here but she doesn’t want to leave. And I’m just a fuck up trying to help her.” He said, his voice cracking as the smell of alcohol hit my nose.

  I tried to say something, anything to help him but my voice came out as a gasp as darkness swallowed up my vision.