All About Keya
A few hours later, Galin and Ellis were sitting at a round table in the middle of the Cowardly Owl. The room was nearly empty, even though it was dinnertime. Maybe people don’t eat out here, Galin thought. The sweet aroma of roasting rabbit made his stomach growl in anticipation.
A young beer wench put two ales on the table. “Here you go,” she said. “Your dinner will be ready soon.”
Galin nodded. “Thank you.” He snickered at Ellis, who was practically drooling over her as she walked away. “Can you be any more obvious?”
“Hey, you’ve got female company, I don’t. I need some,” Ellis said.
Galin looked across the table at him and smiled. “I want to thank you for helping me save Jena. I can never repay you for what you did. Thank you.”
Ellis waved him off. “Knock that crap off or I’ll kick your ass. We’re friends and I’m always with you and that’s that.” He looked away. “But, if you wanted to buy the next round, I wouldn’t stop you.”
“Sure, why not?” Galin asked. He looked up as three large men with swords and a Dark Elf in a dark robe burst through the door.
The bartender rushed to the front. “Hey, you can’t do that.”
The large man with brown hair smacked him in the throat.
The bartender fell to floor, gasping for air.
Galin and Ellis leaped to their feet, drawing their weapons.
The beer wench bolted upstairs.
Tasar pointed at Galin and Ellis. “Over there, Jack.”
Jack motioned to the others. “Lee, go to the right. Bill, go to the left.”
“They’re just kids!” Lee protested. “This isn’t right.”
Jack glared at him. “Just do it and shut up.”
Galin, with his sword drawn, sidestepped away from the table. “Who are you?” he asked Tasar.
Ellis was whirling daggers as he stepped towards Lee. “You should be afraid of us.”
“You don’t want to do this,” Galin said. “The beer wench ran to get help.”
Jack laughed. “These cretins? They won’t dare lift a finger against Brice.” His face reddened. “Get them!”
Bill charged at Ellis.
Ellis leaped off to the side and dropped to the ground. He swung his left leg at Lee’s feet, knocking him on the ground.
Jack raised his sword and swung at Galin.
Lee charged at Galin from the side.
In one fluid motion, Galin blocked Jack’s sword and swung at Lee’s mid-section.
Ellis pounced on Bill like a lion and slammed both daggers into his eyes. As he ripped them from Bill’s skull, blood gushed from his eyes sockets.
Lee collapsed to the ground as his intestines spilled out onto the floor.
“Galin!” a female voice yelled from across the room, running down the stairs.
Tasar frowned.
Jack swept Galin’s leg, slamming him to the floor.
Tasar pulled out a cedar chip, holding it in his left hand. “Sky din jivla bron.”
“Watch out!” Keya yelled as she ran towards them.
Ellis looked up.
Jack moved away to face her.
“Sky din jivla bron,” Tasar said. The small cedar chip burst into six balls of flame, hovering just above Tasar’s palm.
Galin swung at Jack.
Jack knocked it away and moved back to Tasar.
“Sky din jivla bron,” Tasar said. The six fire bolts launched towards Galin.
Galin swallowed. It was too late to call up his defensive magic. He closed his eyes, waiting for death to come.
Keya pushed Galin out of the way.
All six bolts hit Keya in the chest, melting her flesh and bone.
“No!” Brock yelled as he charged at Jack with his sword raised.
Jack easily batted Brock’s slash away. “Time to go.”
“I’m already gone.” Tasar rubbed his hand as he ran out the door, with Jack close behind.
Brock dropped his sword and knelt down, holding Keya’s head in his lap. Tears poured down his cheeks. “She’s gone. No, not her, too.” He stared at the sky. “Why? By the gods, why do you hate me so much?”
Two local men rushed inside the tavern. The larger started to open his mouth, until he saw Keya lying on the floor.
“Mother!” Jena yelled. She ran over to Brock. Her eyes fell as she saw that Keya no longer had a chest. “I can’t heal that.” She hugged her mother. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Mother.”
Ellis tapped Galin on the shoulder. “We’ve got to get those guys before they bring back some more friends.”
“We know where Brice’s warehouse is. Maybe they went there,” said the local man with long, brown hair. “I’m Brent, and this is Steve,” he said, pointing at the other man with braided black hair. “We’ll show you if you want.”
Galin looked at Brock. “Will you come with us?”
Brock rose to his feet. “I will.”
“Right.” Galin led the others out onto the street.
Brent led them to the other side of the village. Peering around a corner of a house, so as not to be seen, he pointed to the one-story building ahead of them. “That’s it.”
Galin moved forward to get a good look. The sun was falling asleep over the horizon. The one-story building had large wooden double doors. Unlike all the other buildings in the village, it was well kept. It almost looked out of place. There were three men armed with hand axes just outside the double doors. He slid back out of sight and moved over to the others. “Brent, Steve, thank you for showing us. You can go if you want to.”
Brent shook his said. “No, we’ll stay.”
Galin nodded. “Okay.”
“How do we deal with that Dark Elf?” Ellis asked. “You saw what he did to Keya.”
Galin looked up at Brock. “Father?”
Brock frowned. “The spell he cast was something Beldroth used during battles against the Darkstriders.”
“She was on our side then?” Ellis asked.
“No, she wasn’t. She was a Dark Elf pyromancer. She’d make the sky rain fire and opened up a hole in the walls of Staerdale Castle,” Brock said. “She was devoted to Kade the Usurper. She was as cunning and sly as they come.”
Galin rubbed his chin. “Maybe he’s a pyromancer, too? I saw some of them being trained at Tadus School of Magic.”
“How do we fight him? None of us are wizards,” Brent said.
Galin glared at him. “No one said you had to stay.” He smiled at Ellis. “I’ll follow Nyna’s good advice. Let’s go.”
Brock drew his sword. “For Keya.”
Galin and the others nodded. “Spread out as we get closer to them. We don’t them to get more help,” Galin said. He swallowed. It was darker than just a few moments ago. That helped. He willed visions of Jena being captured and attacked by the Dark Elf. A small tingle spread throughout his body from his heart. He emerged from around the corner of the small house, facing the three men. Like a flock of birds flying in formation, Brock and Ellis slid to his right and Brent and Steve moved to his left, not in a line, but an arrowhead. “Follow me!” Galin yelled as he charged at the three men.
When the guards looked up, fear fell over their faces like a mask. They ran inside and slammed the door shut behind them.
Galin pointed around the corner. “Brent, Steve, see if there is another way in.”
“You got it,” Brent said as they bolted around the corner.
Galin yanked on the door handle. It didn’t budge. “Bar?”
“Let me see,” Ellis said as he pushed his way through. He peered through the crack between the door. “Nope, there’s no bar.” He grasped the door handle. “It’s locked. Give me a second.” He pulled out a small leather case from his pants pocket.
Brock glared at him as Ellis unclipped the case. “What is that?”
Ellis shrugged. “Just something to help me get into places.” He pulled out two thin iron lock picks. “I’ll have this open in a minute.”
“Where’d you learn this?” Brock demanded. “Your father was a baker.”
Ellis smiled. “He was a lousy baker.” His tongue hung out the corner of his mouth as he worked on the lock.
Brent and Steve emerged from behind the building. “No other way out. No doors or windows.”
“Strange,” Galin said.
Brent shrugged.
Click.
“I got it,” Ellis said. He slid his pouch back into his pants and drew his daggers.
Brock put his hand on Galin’s shoulder. “It’s a trap.”
Galin looked into Brock’s eyes. “I know.” With his free hand, he flung the door open. Tiny arcs began dancing across his skin. Galin’s eyes began to glow. The arcs jumped from his hands and made his sword glow. Think defense, Galin thought. Think defense.
Brock and Ellis moved in behind him and Brent and Steve close by.
Galin looked around. The walls were lined with chests and piles of tribute the local people were forced to give to Brice. If he defended this place, he’d have a million places to hide. His stomach danced as he moved forward. Where were they? Galin was more than a quarter of the way through the room and . . . nothing. Did the pyromancer make a magic tunnel to somewhere else? Galin whirled around as the doors slammed behind them.
“Get them!” Brice yelled from the back room.
Steve and Brent charged the two men that slammed the door.
Galin stared right at Tasar, who was standing in the doorway across the room. Six men came out from behind the piles of loot, armed with short swords. “I’ve got the Dark Elf.”
Ellis rolled his eyes. “Of course, you only have to take one bad guy, sire.”
Tasar held out a cedar chip. His lips were moving as if casting a spell.
Think defense, Galin thought. With his glowing sword raised, he charged at Tasar.
Six fire bolts flew across the room right at Galin.
Defense! Galin’s rage grew as images of his dead adoptive mother flashed through his mind.
The fire bolts bounced off Galin’s skin, hitting two guards.
They collapsed to the ground as their skin began to dissolve.
Tasar blinked and disappeared into the back room.
Two guards lunged at Ellis.
“You don’t want to fight me,” Ellis said as he sidestepped their blows. “I mean, it’s not fair to you.” He whipped one dagger at the large man. It found its mark and the man dropped to the ground.
The other swung his short sword at Ellis, cutting into his right leg.
Brock charged at two guards with his long sword at the ready.
They stepped back as Brock swung his sword.
Brock recovered. He thrust his sword straight in the chest of the guard on the right. Brock lost his grip as he tried to yank it out from the man’s chest.
The other guard swung his sword at Brock.
Brock grabbed the guard that he had just killed and spun him around and ducked.
The guard decapitated the dead guard.
As Ellis fell to the ground, he flung his last dagger at the guard. The dagger embedded itself into the man’s throat. He scrambled to pull his weapons from his victims.
Brock slammed the headless guard into the other one, and his sword skewered them both. After he watched the life leave the guard’s eyes, he pulled his sword from their gullets.
Steve screamed.
“Help us!” Brent screamed before he lost his head.
Offense, think offense, Galin thought as he charged the last two guards. His skin and his eyes were still glowing.
The two guards dropped their swords and ran out the door, slamming it behind them.
Galin whirled around. “Now for the Dark Elf.” He raced towards the back room with Brock right behind him and Ellis limping along.
The back room had a large wooden desk in the middle with an empty chair behind it. Brice was cowering in the corner as Galin entered the room with his eyes still glowing. “Where is he? Where’s the Dark Elf?” Galin demanded.
Brice tried to push himself further into the corner as Galin approached. “He’s gone.”
“How?” Galin demanded.
Brice’s face was ghostly white. “A light. He cast a spell and…and he vanished.”
“You are responsible for Keya’s death!” Brock yelled. He raised his sword. “If I can’t get the Dark Elf, I’ll take your head instead.”
Brice held up his hands, pressing himself closer to the floor. “Please, please no. I beg of you.”
Galin closed his eyes as he sheathed his sword. He willed the dragon magic away. His eyes flashed open. “Who was it? Why did you come after us?”
Warm fluid seeped through Brice’s trousers. “He said he’d give my wife to the Feral Orcs.”
“Who?” Galin demanded.
“Tasar, his name is Tasar. He was hired by Artis the Black to kill you,” Brice said. “He had to do it in such a way that you wouldn’t be a martyr.”
Ellis blinked. “Why?”
“If Galin becomes a martyr, he’ll be the rallying cry for every warrior in Axain,” Brock said. “They would never be able to stop all of them and they know it.”
“Who’s Artis the Black?” Galin asked.
“The governor,” Brock said. “He rules over the Darkstrider territory east of the Wailing Mountains.”
“I’ve told you everything,” Brice said. “Please, have mercy.”
Galin nodded. “I—”
Brock raised his sword. “You’ll get the same mercy that Keya got.” He brought it down like an ax, severing Brice’s head in two. He chopped Brice again and again and again.
“Stop!” Galin yelled as he pushed Brock out of the tiny room. “Stop, it’s over.”
Tears flowed down Brock’s face. “I didn’t tell you; we were going to be married. I was going to tell you, but I didn’t have a chance.” He shook his head. “Now, I’ve lost both of them.”
Ellis limped out of the back room. “Damn, I hope you don’t get pissed at me.”
“Come on, let’s go,” Galin said as he rushed back to Jena. Would she be as vengeful about losing her mother as he was about losing his?