CHAPTER 2 - A DEADLY SUN - Part 2

Idylls had been summoned by her mother again, but this time something was different. She was told to enter the castle’s solar where her mother met with other important figures of the Host. She entered the room quietly and her mother glanced at, motioning for her to stand against the wall.
She recognized her mother and the two other Queens, Simult and Hrim, as they were the other two powerful leaders of their Hives. Both of them were regal, strong looking women, dark black and covered with the scales that so many of her kind had.
Also in the room, which was barely lit by a few torches, was another female Fae, a sharp looking woman who wore a scowl on her face. Standing next to her was a golden elf, a tall man wearing bright robes of white and gold.
Idylls had been raised to hate all other races, and more than any other, she was taught to hate the Daoine Sidhe. But this man was clearly one of the Seelie Court and she was surprised to see him with other Host leaders.
“He is coming,” the man said, a smile clear on his golden face. Even his eyes were golden and bright with clear feelings of success.
“You sent images to the Chosen One to get him to come here?” the younger woman said, her voice seething with anger. “Are you mad?”
“Just because you lost to him, doesn’t mean he’s dangerous Sister Shiv,” Idylls’s mother said disdainfully.
“I don’t think any of you have the slightest idea of what you’re dealing with here,” Shiv said in a snarl. “He managed to get every other elf, Dwarf, Merrow, even Selkies to come to his banner and fight for him! He’s a leader of both men and Faery!”
“Yes, yes, we heard the reports, but now he’s coming here, where they are no Faeries for him to raise into an army,” Simult said, scoffing at the younger Fae.
“Plus, this is what your Master, Mabinogion wants,” the golden elf said in tones that clearly showed he was in charge of the conversation.
“I still say it’s dangerous. Who knows who he’s bringing with him?”
“He’ll bring his favorite humans, and his half brothers, and no more. He will be in a land he doesn’t understand, where he can have no allies and no chance of defeating us. Our combined might we bring him down and then his legend will be over.” Hrim seemed very confident about it.
Idylls listened intently. Someone was coming, someone the Queens seemed to hate, and Sister Shiv seemed to fear. Someone called the Chosen One. Who could that be she wondered? What was happening?
The golden elf laughed. “And there’s more! I think Cullen is bringing along one of my weapons.”
“One of the one’s they stole from us?” Shiv asked, suddenly more interested.
“Yes,” the golden elf answered. “I can feel it, just like I can feel my other Creations. Only this one, I can control. The Dwarves helped make the original four, but this one is all my work.”
“Well that’s excellent news!” Idylls’s mother chuckled. “That’s like having someone inside their group already, just waiting for our word to strike!”
Idylls felt sorry for whoever they were talking about. She remembered when the three Queens last combined their Hives and took this human Kingdom right out from under them. She wasn’t part of the actual attack, but she remembered the planning sessions and then soon after, she was moved into a set of rooms in the human’s castle.
Whatever this group set their mind to, they usually accomplished. They were all powerful magic uses, with thousands of Hive members under their command, and they all had the support of the Dark Master himself. This Chosen One was in serious trouble, and it seemed he had been tricked into coming by the golden elf.
She lowered her head and said a small prayer for him, wishing he would turn around and go back to wherever he was from. No one could save him now, just like no one could save her from this fate.

***

The Dreamweaver stood on the end of the dock waiting for Grimm to arrive. The old man had come out early to take a look at the boat they were supposed to be taking out into the swamp. King Adrian’s son Alin, wanted to show off his hunting birds, the specially trained loons that fished for him.
The boy had taken a liking to the Dreamweaver, as most children seemed to, and he had dragged the old man out onto the dock with the rest of his family in tow. King Adrian was walking hand in hand with his wife, Queen Laura, and beside her was their daughter, Ana.
Adrian was a stout man, wearing leather britches and boots with a white tabard with gold trim. His wife was in a stunning white dress, also with golden trim, and little golden frogs embroidered around the hem.
The children were dressed to match their parents, both of them with golden hair that reflected the bright sunlight that shone through the swamp trees. Alin was pulling on the Dreamweaver, bringing him closer to the boat.
It was a flat boat, long and wide, with an area covered by a tent for shade or rain. There were seats bolted into the deck and cushioned seats that went around one side of the edge. Crates with loons in them were lined up on the other side.
On deck was a captain, who directed the ship, and three guards of the Marshking’s militia, wearing their green tunics with the frog emblem. All three of them carried bows and arrow, and spears that had been modeled on the local fishing spears, with three jagged points.
“What do you think of our boat Dreamweaver?” Alin was saying as they reached the edge of the dock.
“Oh, its really something young man, I can’t wait to be aboard!” the old man said eagerly. He looked back and saw Grimm, tall and scowling, striding down the dock after the royal family. He looked strange without his axe.
“Please, go ahead Alin,” the King called, letting his son go first. Alin jumped aboard the ship and ran to the cushioned seats along the edge, looking back excitedly for his new friend.
The Dreamweaver got on slowly, being careful of his old bones, and soon joined the boy on the seats. The King helped his ladies onboard and then climbed on after them, choosing to sit in the bolted seat in the middle and under the tent.
Grimm boarded last, choosing to stand somewhere in between the seating options. His dark eyes searched the surrounding swamp, wondering how you defended anyone on a boat. Always alert, he scanned the trees while listen to the King talk about the boat.
“Had it made by the best boat builder in Dustan! And it’s served us well so far,” he said, sharing a look with his wife. “We’ll go out to where it’s deeper and then Alin can show you his birds.”
“Yeah, you gotta see ‘em!” Alin said joyfully. “They dive in so perfect and then spear fish and bring ‘em back up! They’re the best!”
The Dreamweaver patted the boy’s head and smiled past his white beard. He remembered when Cullen was this age, and even the High King, who he also helped raise. He loved children; they were so excited about life, so interested in the details of everything around them.
Ana was twelve and Alin was thirteen, both of them almost marrying age. The Dreamweaver wondered if King Adrian thought about that and looked forward to seeing the other royal children from Vess. He knew that Cosmin in Seawatch was an old widower and had no children, but he didn’t know much about Nicu’s family.
The captain used a pole to push the boat along the swamp, leading them down passages of water that winded in and out of the trees and clumps of land that were everywhere through the swamp.
Most of the passages were clear, but sometimes they were blocked by piles of branches and other debris that forced the boat to go somewhere else. The King explained that someone would be along to clear them eventually.
The Dreamweaver and the King spoke together about the marshlands, talking about what imports they brought in and what products they exported. Then eventually they talked about the rest of the Kingdom.
“My men tell me there have been quite a few Rathians in the city of late, and we wondered at that,” the King said.
“Have you heard anything about this King Nicu then?” the Dreamweaver asked.
“Just that he finally united the clans together. But Simon tells me his borders are still contested by Horse Lords even now, so I don’t know how much control he has over them.”
Grimm listened to the two men talk, and he watched the swamp around them. He though the three militia men were lazy since they sat down during the ride and seemed to be talking amongst themselves instead of watching for danger.
Grimm knew that people thought he took things too seriously, and perhaps that was true, but a man should do his duty to the best of his ability. Grimm’s duty now was to watch out for the well being of the Dreamweaver on their trip and for each King as guested in their land.
It also seemed to him that a lot more of the side passages were blocked as they went down the river. Whoever was supposed to be clearing them should be getting to it. At this rate they would have nowhere to turn the boat around.
“They have been occupying some of the taverns locally, and the militia has been involved in a few scuffles, but they haven’t broken any laws, so I’m not sure what to do with them,” the King said, still talking to the Dreamweaver.
“Can I show him my birds yet?” Alin cried.
The King nodded and the boy happily jumped down from his seat. He walked over to the crates and let out two loons. They were black with white spots running down the back, lean birds with long beaks that looked very sharp.
The birds walked to the edge of the boat and hopped up onto the railing. Alin pulled out a pair of bells and rang them once and the birds dove into the water below the boat. Alin clapped with joy to see them go.
The Dreamweaver leaned over the side to see the dark shapes disappear into the dark waters below. Within just a few moments the birds were back at the surface, each with a fish speared with their beaks.
They flapped and splashed coming out of the water and landed on the deck, where they discharged their catch into a basket. Then they returned to the edge of the boat and waited for the signal to jump in again.
Alin rang the bell and they leaped off the edge straight into the water again. “Amazing!” the Dreamweaver said, totally fixated on the scene. He moved ahead to get a better view and he watched the surface of the water again.
Alin was on the edge of the boat, looking over the side when the birds both bobbed up and leaped for the boat again. Alin moved aside to let the birds drop off their catch, when suddenly one of the birds was smashed off to the side and hit the deck off the boat and was transfixed there by a huge arrow.
The Dreamweaver looked off the boat wildly, searching for an archer when Grimm grabbed the boy and brought him to the floor of the boat just as another arrow streaked through the space where he had been.
The militia fighters saw that something was happening and they rushed to stand in front of the royal family. Another arrow appeared and stuck into one of the fighters; he screamed and fell to the floor.
Grimm leaped back up and ran to the man grabbed his bow and an arrow and facing the water off one side he drew back, scanning the waterway for danger. The captain stopped pushing the boat and it drifted to one side up against some debris that blocked yet another passageway.
Grimm could see over one of the blockades and saw a small fishing boat skimming across the surface with a few men in it as they made their escape.
“I think the danger’s passed now,” he said, lowering the bow. “Is the boy alright?” he asked the Dreamweaver. The old man went to Alin’s side who was crying that his bird had been killed.
The King stood up and checked on the soldier that got hit. “This doesn’t seem like a terrible wound, I think you others can fix him up,” he said indicating the other two men.
Queen Laura was holding her daughter close and eyeing the surrounding trees like something could pop out at any moment.
“Get this boat turned around!” the King commanded the captain. The man hurried to his job. Grimm walked over to the dead bird and pulled the arrow free.
“Well now you know why the Rathians have been in town,” he said holding up the arrow. The shaft was at least an inch thick and the arrow was very long. It was a weapon only the Rathians used.
“Someone tried to kill you and your family today Sire,” Grimm said to the King. The Dreamweaver held on to Alin who was still upset, as the King stared at the large warrior holding the arrow.
“We’ll have every Rathian brought before me the moment we get back! I’ll see someone hang for this!”

***

The sun was just rising when Cullen and his group left the caves of the Dwarves citadel. The shadows were long and dark and the snow was thick, but there seemed to be a trail they could follow down the opposite side of the mountain. They led their horses along, just as Roarr led his mountain pony behind the rest of them and they started down the hill.
Everyone wore an extra layer of furs since it was so clod and the sun wasn’t at any real height yet, and they slowly made their way down towards the forests that grew closer to the bottom.
Small, stunted trees grew in patches along the trail and Cullen wondered why there was a tail at all. The landscape was mostly sharp cliffs with just this one skinny trail leading straight down the mountain, but he was grateful they didn’t have to climb down cliff with ropes.
The first two days were uneventful. They slowly walked their horses and pony down the side of the mountain, choosing what seemed to be wildlife trails that led down. They left the snow behind and entered true forest. It was all evergreen trees, all different shades of green or blue and spread out enough to give them plenty of room.
The Asrai twins ran ahead as they liked to do, to look for the best trails and check for danger. Cullen could sense through the pack feeling that everything was alright so far. On the third night they chose a large clearing and set up the tents they would sleep in.
Tris’tan did the cooking for the entire camp, making a stew out of different mushrooms they found and rabbits that the twins killed. Cullen and Tik used their swords to spar and keep practice.
Tik could feel the magic in his sword and he sorely wanted to use it. It was calling to him sweetly and he thought about the sword more than Sonia, which surprised him some. He thought being around Sonia and Cullen together would be hard, as it had been in the past, but the sword occupied much of his thinking the past few days.
Cullen was still the better fighter, but Tik had gotten quite good in the last three years and Cullen felt he could hold his own against most opponents. Tik didn’t use a shield and Cullen suggested they make one out of the local wood.
The pair of them went off looking for branches to lash together to make a simple shield. Cullen hoped in the new land they could purchase one, if the inhabitants would take his gold. His coins had the stamp of the High King’s profile on them, and he wondered if it would be accepted in the market of these new places.
Sonia assisted Tris’tan with making food, while Aki made sure the camp was set up with proper defenses. Cullen thought everyone seemed kind of tense and he also felt a odd feeling in the forest, like something was just beyond his sight, but he shrugged it off to being in a new area, and thought nothing more of it.
That night Roarr told a rousing story about a Dwarf that fought monsters of the Underdark and carried back vast treasure in gems. Afterward everyone settled into their tents and tried to get some sleep. Gwydion was left outside to keep watch.
Sometime later in the night, Cullen was woken by the pack sense, because he could feel alarm register in his brother. Gwaelod and Tris’tan were also woken by the feeling and soon all of them were coming out of their tents.
The coals were still burning in the fire pit but the flames had died down and the night’s darkness covered the camp. Gwydion was rigid and standing over the edge of the camp waiting. Cullen hefted his Shield to settle its weight on his arm and stepped closer to his half brother.
Then the forest erupted with activity as black figures leaped into the camp. Cullen had seen them before and he recognized them quickly as creatures the Host used for attacking enemies.
They were lean and possibly related to the Dark Fae, but they had bones that grew on the outside of their bodies. Bone spikes grew from their arms and elbows and a bone plate covered the whole face and upper head. They had no eyes that could be seen but they didn’t seem to lack the ability to see where they were going, as they attacked directly.
Cullen shouted an alarm and he heard tents bustling as the others fought free of their blankets. He rushed ahead and cut down the first creature to face him, as he saw his brothers doing the same. All of them carried steel katanas that were razor sharp and they cut down their foes quickly.
Aki emerged from his tent and lifted his sword high in the air. It glowed dimly at first but grew brighter and brighter by the second, until it cast light everywhere around them. The whole camp was lit up like the sun was shining and Cullen could see many of the creatures rushing towards them.
Roarr stood by the elf and Fox who both protected Aki while he held the Lightbringer aloft. The Asrai were growling and fighting for their lives. Cullen was slashing though bones and flesh trying to stop the onslaught of creatures.
Then he saw Tik next to him and he started to shout but it was too late. Tik cut the air in front of him and used the magic of the sword. The air buzzed in front of him and fire and force came free of his weapon, cutting down foes and tree alike. Trees fell burning and bodies of the Fae creature went flying backwards.
Tik ran forward and slashed again, sending another group back, beaten and cut, while trees were falling and burning. Cullen ran to his side and grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards the group. Tik had a huge smile on his face as he gloried in his attack.
“Are you mad?” Cullen snapped. “We don’t need to burn the forest down to stop them!”
A few remaining creatures were on the run now and the Asrai were chasing them down. Tik turned towards Cullen with an angry look on his face.
“We won! Because I used the sword the way it was meant to be used!” he shouted back at his friend.
“It was designed by evil people to be used for evil purpose!” Cullen shouted back. “We must be careful that we don’t become like them! I told you; use it as a sword, not as a magical weapon of destruction.”
“Just because you don’t like to use your magic doesn’t mean I should hold back!” Tik argued.
Sonia appeared next to them. “Please! Both of you, stop fighting. You’re both right, you should be careful with the weapon, but you should be able to protect us!”
Cullen stopped and turned to look at Sonia. Tik lowered his sword and his head. “You’re right Sonia. I’m sorry Cullen; I should have tried another way.”
Cullen raised his eyebrows in surprise. Tik had seemed ready to fight him, but at Sonia’s word, he calm down quickly. Maybe Sonia was the key to keeping him calm under the sword. Cullen decided to think on that later.
The Asrai returned and reported that they had killed the remaining attackers. Cullen looked at Aki who lowered his sword that was still shining brightly.
“That’s a useful sword!” Cullen said to the elf. Aki nodded and the light dimmed a bit.
“Those were definitely Host creations,” Tris’tan said in the silence of camp.
“I agree. I wonder why they left them here in the forest?” Cullen questioned out loud.
“Perhaps as a early warning system, or to kill anyone that came from our side,” Tik guessed.
“None got away then?” Cullen asked.
“I don’t think so,” Gwydion answered.
Cullen began the process of removing the dead bodies from camp and piling them up a little further away. The Asrai helped while Tik talked with Sonia. Roarr and Aki started digging a shallow grave.
By the time the work was done, the sky had brightened considerably and Cullen thought it made the most sense to just start riding early. The others agreed and they wer4e soon mounted and riding north again, continuing down the side of the mountain.
By late morning they had reached the bottom and rode out onto what appeared to be grasslands, but mostly desolate ground. As far as they could see in front of them, no trees grew and the land seemed flat.
They rode out into the sandy, grassy land and started forward until the came to a road that seemed worn with years of wind and a lack of upkeep. The road seemed to be made of giant squares of sandy clay that matched the ground around it.
It led straight north, under the morning sun and Cullen led his group out into the path, deciding to follow it as far as it went. They soon repacked their extra furs since it was hotter here under the sun.
By evening they found that all the land around the road had turned to sand and the sun seemed to be beating down on them. When night finally came, they were tired from being under the sun all day and Cullen wondered what kind of land they had stumbled upon.
The following day was the same. Sand everywhere they could see, from horizon to horizon, both east and west and north, nothing but dunes of sand, with this single road stretching ahead before them.
They started conserving water and stripped down to their thinnest layers of clothes. The horses were having hard time of it, since they too had to be given less water, since they didn’t know when this sandy land would end.
By nightfall, when the cold settled in and they had to bundle back up, Cullen had decided they would camp during the day, under their tents and ride at night until they reached better land. He remembered his dream showed him nothing but bright sun on the other side of the mountains and this is what it must have meant.
He wondered how long they could last out here in this desolate landscape.

***

Idylls prepared the table the way she had been shown to do it. The room was well lit by torches hanging in sconces around the room, and foods were laid out across the table. It was all human food, but Idylls had come to enjoy human varieties of food, like fruits and berries. There was wine, and even the stronger drink, icevine, that the Host prepared in the tunnels.
After setting the table and arraigning the chairs, Idylls moved herself off to the side to stand ready in case her mother needed her. Her mother, Jorinde, had told her to keep quiet and listen to this meeting between herself and a human that had just come into the city.
Soon Idylls heard voices in the corridor and the door opened to reveal her mother, resplendent in her dark red robes and perfect crystalline jewelry. Her black scales reflected the firelight as though her skin was jeweled too.
Idylls had been taught that there was something wrong with her because she didn’t take on the scaled appearance but she preferred her soft ashy skin. Her hair was shocked white, which made it hard for her to hide as well, but she never wanted to become a warrior Queen anyway.
Behind her mother came a man, a human man, who wore leather breeches and boots, with a silk shirt tucked over his belly, which stuck out a little, and an eye patch over his left eye. His facial hair was pointed and greased and he was smiling at her mother as they spoke.
“So you were saying, you brought us a gift?” Jorinde purred as they both took seats at the table.
The man reached out for some berries and popped them in his mouth. “Yes, my King has taken a great interest in your Gladiator Games and he thinks you would like to have a new champion.”
Jorinde took a delicate sip from the flute of icevine and she smiled at the brutish man. “I see,” she said, “And what is so special about this man?”
“He was the war leader of the Zingarian army, until he was captured by our forces. He is a born killer and should survive for some time in the ring,” the man said, chewing his food while he spoke.
Idylls found him to be disgusting but she could tell her mother was intrigued by what he was saying and she was treating him like she treated some of the warriors of their Hive.
“And why would your King send me a gift?” Jorinde asked, her tone exploratory and light.
“We hope to have better relations with our neighbors. Durza is a large continent, and populated by many people. The Zingarians occupy a large part of the world and we Choss occupy another larger area.”
The man reached for a drink to wash down his food. He was leering at Idylls while he spoke. “There is also the Xincians and the people here, who now call themselves the Xho. The Xho occupied mostly desert land, while the Zingarians have more fertile land.”
“We were hoping to form a better relationship with you, and maybe someday soon we could reach out and test the known borders of these other lands, if you understand what I mean.”
Jorinde leaned back in her chair and tossed her hair, laughing brightly with her musical voice. “Oh I think I do!” she said. “You want powerful allies, or your King does at any rate, and you’re hoping the Host could be those allies.”
“Exactly,” the man said, nodding his head. “There is an opportunity here, for us to become closer, and perhaps become stronger as well.”
“I understand and I accept your gift Jozen,” Jorinde said finally. “And you may tell your King that we shall consider his proposal. Perhaps we can come to an agreement that suits us all.”
“Well that makes me very happy your Majesty,” the man smiled a greasy grin. “I’ll return to my King and pass on your message.” He grabbed another handful of food as he rose.
“The guards will see you out,” Jorinde said sweetly as she took another sip of her wine. The man opened the door and left and Idylls approached the table.
“That man wants us to help him take over other human Kingdoms?” she asked, surprised at such an idea.
“Yes daughter, he does, and frankly I’m surprised it took them so long!” Jorinde laughed as she turned to face her daughter. “Humans don’t often stay united as a race, as I’ve already taught you. They fight amongst themselves for land and riches and this is another example of that.”
“The Choss rule only a small part of the continent and they are jealous of what the other nations have. They would have fought these desert natives that call themselves the Xho no; do you remember what that means in their tongue?”
“The Lost People,” Idylls answered.
“Yes!” her mother praised. “And they are lost! We came out of our tunnels and took all three cities in a matter of days. And now another human leader wants to combine our forces to attack some other human leader. We shall work with them until all of them are weakened and then we shall enslave the whole race as we should have done when they first arrived!”
Idylls didn’t believe in enslaving a whole race, but she knew better than to say such things to her mother. That kind of talk would get her savagely beaten or worse. She just nodded her head and gave a weak smile and wondered how she would ever get away from this life.
There seemed to be no escape for a girl that wanted something other than ruling over the Hive. She knew her people were dark and had dark desires, but she thought the humans seemed different than that. She always wanted to talk to them, but the slaves just hurried away from her when she tried, fearing some trick or punishment.
She sat quietly while her mother drank her wine and plotted against the humans, and the other Hives and probably even against the Dark Master. Her mother was nothing if not ambitious.