Deathsworn Arc: 01 - The Last Dragon Slayer Read online

  This diverted the attention of the others for just a second, in that second, Silus hefted his short spear and flung it with all his might at the man guarding him. The spears flight was true and it pierced its target right through the heart. During this commotion, Korhan, Harald and Votrex all leapt from their saddles, drawing their weapons as they landed. At this point arrows were released, one slammed into Harald’s shoulder causing him to grunt in pain and his arm to go limp, another pierced Korhan’s horse in the flank, causing it to whinny and panic, charging off and almost knocking Korhan over. Their arrows released the four bandits were too close to risk taking the time to nock another arrow, so they drew their short swords. Despite the arrow protruding from his shoulder, Harald was the first into the fray, his limp arm meant he could not wield his battle axe, instead he threw it at his target clumsily, it clanged off the bandit harmlessly, but bought Harald enough time to step forwards and grab the bandit’s sword arm before he could swing his sword, then plant a heavy head butt square on his nose, causing an explosion of blood. He went down and as he hit the floor Harald stamped all his weight onto the bandit’s throat - ending his life.

  Silus was on the floor too, his sword drawn. Korhans opponent had tried to get the first attack in, swinging fast at Korhan’s midriff. The barbarian was too fast though, turning his body and raising the handle of his great sword while dropping the blade. The clang of blade on blade rang out through the clearing, followed by the dull thud of Korhans sword meeting bandit’s neck after he’d whipped the mighty blade around in an arc at neck height. The following sound was the soft rumble of a head rolling through the brown leaves, picking them up on the sticky dismembered stump where the head had connected with the body. As the decapitated corpse lolled forwards Korhan stepped aside and started jogging towards the shack.

  The brigand facing Votrex had tried to use his greater height to his advantage, with a wild overhead swing. Votrex instead of parrying the blow skipped forwards and swung his axe with all his might at his foes knees. The blow cleaved one leg asunder and virtually dismembered the second, sending the man screaming onto the floor with a thump. As he hit the ground Votrex’s axe twisted, rose, then fell - beheading his foe.

  As this transpired Brael, slid off his horse, and drew his sword, dispatching his foe that had his hands clamped over his eyes, with a straight thrust, clean through the heart. Only then did the hands recede, revealing two wooden darts sticking out of the eye sockets, the eyeballs destroyed.

  As Silus had dismounted his attacker had charged in, short sword meeting short sword with a flurry of slashes, thrusts and parries, driving the veteran back. Silus feinted to one side, then when the bandit raised his sword arm for a high slash to the neck, Silus switched his footing, then stepped in grabbing the man’s sword arm and sliding his sword clean through the bandit’s belly. As Silus twisted his blade in the bandit’s belly, his opponent grunted in pain and slumped forwards dropping his sword and clutching his wounded stomach. He lay whimpering and groaning on the ground for a few moments before his life finally ebbed away.

  Another wild arrow had just nicked Saul’s cloak, but it passed through harmlessly. Saul left his saddle and looked about the corpses. All eyes raised to see Korhan fling open the door of the ramshackle cabin open. They rushed over...

  The bandit leader and Vashni were sprawled on a rough hay stuffed bed together. It looked like the leader had tried to start forcibly removing her clothes. Korhan grunted and raised his sword, ready to behead the leader... Then he paused. Something was wrong... The bandit chief had a haunted look on his face, and Vashni looked a little vacant. When the others stormed in Korhan looked up. Brael, raised a palm to Korhan, “Stop! She is in his head! Killing him now may cause her great harm.”

  Korhan lowered his bloodied sword, “What must we do?”

  At that point Vashni gasped through her gag. Korhan threw his sword down and began frantically removing her gag and untying her hands. She was breathing heavily and looking to be in some discomfort. The bandit leader lay still on the bed, drool seeping from his mouth, tears rolling from his eyes.

  Votrex looked disgusted at the sight, “Gah! What did you do to him elf?”

  Vashni looked up, “He was trying to... Urgh! I entered his mind and began destroying it... He was weak, but to enter a mind so disgusting, so vile! I fear I shall never feel clean again...”

  Saul stepped forwards, “Are you unhurt?”

  She nodded, “The bandits?”

  Harald answered, through gritted teeth, while gripping his protruding arrow, “Dead...”

  Vashni rose shakily to her feet, “Good... And we sustained no other casualties...”

  Korhan offered his arm for her to grab, but she simply scowled at him and ignored it. As they left the bandits hut, Korhan looked around for his horse, “My steed took an arrow, I had best go look for him.”

  Vashni, listened for a few seconds then pointed, “That way, he rests now... Fetch him, and bring him back to me, while I tend to Harald.”

  Harald by this stage had sat down, his back against a tree, panting heavily. Silus had fetched a flask of mead and after pulling Harald’s furs clear, used some to clean the area of the wound. He then gave the flask to Harald. Vashni strode towards him, with Saul, Votrex and Brael in her wake, “Step aside dragon slayer, let me tend to him.”

  Silus looked up at her with deep suspicion, “What are you going to do elf?”

  “I’m going to drink his blood and suck out his soul.”

  “Very funny witch!”

  She ignored him and leaned close to Harald, “Harald, will you let me tend your wound?”

  Silus piped up again, “Don’t trust her!”

  She sighed, “Harald, if you let me, I can heal your wound and make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

  Harald nodded, “Do it...” Silus muttered under his breath, rose and stormed off.

  Vashni pulled Harald’s damaged furs away from the wound and studied it carefully. Saul, Votrex and Brael watched from a distance. As she studied the wound, Brael whispered into Saul’s ear, “You will find this interesting wizard - she is going to whisper the arrow and contaminants out, then whisper the wound closed... “

  Sure enough Vashni lowered her face to his wound and started whispering quietly, caringly, almost inaudibly. Harald grimaced in pain and started panting hard as the arrow, seemingly of its own accord started reversing out of his flesh. Her whispering became more intense, almost coaxing and Harald yelled in agony, then the arrow tip slid clear and it fell onto the floor. Rust, muck and blood continued to ooze from the wound as she whispered, eventually the flesh started to knit together before their eyes, after a few moments the hole had been replaced by a neat, pink scar in a perfect line. She continued to whisper for some time, while Harald grunted and groaned, then as she finished he let out a long sigh.

  Harald flexed his hand and tested his arm; it felt weak, tired, but undamaged. He looked her in the eye, “That was amazing... How did you do that?”

  Vashni smiled at him and rose, “I didn’t do it, I simply instructed your body to do it... That’s why you feel a little tired... Your damaged nerves and muscles are mended though, your skin is sealed and you are clear of infection - apart from the scar you are healed.”

  Harald, almost speechless in amazement, smiled at her, “Thank you Lady Vashni...”

  Korhan appeared at that point leading his limping horse into the clearing. Again Vashni approached the horse and placed her mouth near the wound, then started to whisper. Eventually the horse became more restless, making Korhan struggle to control it, the arrow eventually fell out and the horses wound healed. Korhan shook his head in amazement, “Tis an amazing ability Mir§a Vashni to whisper wounds together.”

  She smiled at him weakly, “Ri§ine Korhan, whispering the wounds together would not help - when doing this, it is critical that I whisper all the contaminants out first... And when the wound is closed, there may still be nerves and muscles d
amaged beneath the surface. Healing with the art of whispering is a difficult skill... Now Ri§ine Korhan...” Her voice dropped to a low whisper, “ §ara Shoriuda di§airm §uisquira shom...”

  Korhan recognised the words, but barely heard them. They bypassed his conscious mind and commanded his very being. He could feel himself kneeling in front of her and though he resisted, and tried to disobey, he leaned forwards and kissed her suede boot, much to the amusement of the others. When he’d finished he rose and looked at her angrily, “Wha...”

  “ Ri§ine Korhan, if you wish to gain mental discipline and strength you need to be prepared to defend yourself from mental attacks at any time... Remember, no questions? I will continue whispering this to you without warning until you can resist it.”

  Korhan bowed his head to her, “Yes Mir§a Vashni.”

  She pointed to the floor, “Wait here Ri§ine...” Then she walked over to Saul, “Master Wizard, after invading that foul rodent of a man’s mind... I need to bathe, I feel dirty all over... I hear a waterfall a short distance from here. Wait here, with the others and search the bandits camp, I will take my Ri§ine to attend to me, but we shall return shortly.”

  Saul smirked at this, “Yes lady Vashni, I need to retrieve my coin purse anyway.” He then went to organize the others, though Harald was still resting.

  Vashni led her horse past Korhan, “Come Ri§ine, you will attend to me while I bathe...” Korhan smiled to himself at this, thinking his luck was in. She was thin, unnaturally thin but athletic. She didn’t have the curves or voluptuous shape of a human woman but her beauty, though alien was something Korhan found attractive, almost exotic.

  Korhan allowed his horse to rest with the others; they led Vashni’s white steed to the waterfall and tied it to a nearby tree. Vashni rummaged in her saddlebags, eventually coming away with a soft, towel of an unfamiliar material and some soap. Happy that she’d got all she needed she started walking down towards the large flat rocks that joined the earth and the waters edge, beckoning over her shoulder with her finger, “Follow Ri§ine...” Korhan followed her until they were standing on a large flat rock. She beckoned him closer with her finger, “Lend me your ear Ri§ine...” He leaned forwards and she whispered in his ear, “Ri§ine , §hui abelk o§u §inair§a rai...”

  Korhan helpless to stop himself found himself closing his eyes. “Mir§a Vashni!”

  “Shhh... I do not wish to expose myself to you Ri§ine, you will keep your eyes closed until such time as I have finished. Now hold out your hands.” He felt her place the soft towel in one hand, then he heard her undressing, removing her boots, her cloak, her leggings and her shirt. As she removed each piece she would whisper something.

  Korhan, unsettled by being forced to remain in darkness, asked her, “Mir§a Vashni, what are you whispering?”

  She chuckled softly, “I am commanding my clothes to become clean while I wash myself.”

  “Could you not use the same technique on yourself?”

  “I could, but I find I am not left feeling as clean as having had a good, wet wash... You will hold my clothes Ri§ine.” He felt clothes being placed into his spare hand, initially her leather and suede overclothes then soft, silky material that felt like it was intricately embroidered with lace or something...

  He could only assume it was her undergarments.

  As soon as she’d loaded his hands up he heard her humming to herself as she skipped off to the small waterfall. The darkness was overpowering. He tried to resist the whisper, to open his eyes, but it felt like they were sealed shut, or like he no longer had eyes. Instead he was left helplessly standing there, acting as her clothes rack while she frolicked in the water laughing and splashing. He longed to open his eyes, not simply to spy on her naked beauty, but simply because being blind in broad daylight made him feel very vulnerable.

  Eventually after she’d washed herself thoroughly she returned to him, he could her soft footsteps slapping onto the smooth, water weathered rock. When she stopped he heard her whisper again, to herself this time. In fact this whisper was a whisper to the water in her hair and on her skin, commanding it to leave her body. In but a moment, she was perfectly dry, and pulling her undergarments from Korhan’s outstretched hands. He heard her dressing, feet away from him, but he could see nothing. After the undergarments he felt her take her over clothes and heard the rustling of her dressing herself. Eventually the rustling died down, “There... I feel much better Ri§ine... Shall we rejoin the others?”

  Korhan, felt disorientated and vulnerable still, his eyes locked shut, when he spoke his voice trembled shakily, “Mir§a Vashni, I still cannot open my eyes...”

  She laughed at this, “Silly me... I forgot... Hmmm, you sound quite subdued... Does being blind scare you Ri§ine?”

  Korhan thought about trying to deceive her. Somehow he suspected this would not be possible. He let out a sigh and tried to hide the trembling in his voice, “Yes Mir§a Vashni... A little...”

  She giggled at this, “Dear me my Ri§ine... You lose one sense and you feel so compromised? You have more than one sense! I think an over-reliance on your sense of sight has dulled your other senses. Smell the air, and the pines, listen to the wind and the crunching of leaves under your feet. Think only of your sight and you will miss much of the beauty and interest this world has to offer. I think a spell without the gift of sight will do you good... There are places in the world, where no light can penetrate and the sense of sight is unavailable to any - even by magical means. If you do not learn to use your other senses, then finding yourself in peril in these places will mean certain death. You shall spend as long as I see fit without the benefit of sight, we will continue your exercises and when I feel you are making progress, I will either remove another sense for a spell - perhaps your hearing? Or I shall restore your sight - we return to the others now, follow me.”

  Korhan tried to track her through the forest, but suddenly having to rely on sound alone made it difficult. He could hear her crunching through the leaves, he tried moving towards her, arms outstretched.

  Her voice came from another direction, “Over here silly! Use your ears!”

  Korhan moved his head around as she spoke; eventually satisfied he set off, treading carefully and groping with his hands. He heard Vashni giggle at him, then crunching through the leaves towards him, “Dear me Ri§ine, I can see we’re going to have to do some work with you aren’t we? Give me your hand, I will lead you, but try to use your sense of hearing and spatial awareness.”

  Her velvet gloved hand took his in hers and she began crunching through the leaves, leading him gently, blindly towards the others. He could not shake the uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability that had overcome him, “Mir§a Vashni, please... Let me open my eyes before we get back to the others!”

  She chuckled at his trembling voice, “Shhh, that wouldn’t teach you much would it? Focus, concentrate, but relax, try to take in your surroundings... Do not fear... I will ensure no harm comes to you Ri§ine... Relax; enjoy the sounds and smells...”

  Korhan tried to relax. Being led blind through a forest by a slender, youthful, female elf that appeared to have effectively made him - a mighty warrior into her student and servant was a surreal situation. The very sensation of being looked after; being cared for by someone was alien to him also. Back in his village when he was growing up, he’d been expected to fend for himself to a degree almost as soon as he could hold a weapon. Now he felt like he was reduced almost to a child-like state. As they walked though, he did eventually find himself able to track the crunch of Vashni’s feet in the dry leaves. He gradually lowered his resistance and fear and allowed her to lead him submissively through the forest. He soon found he could hear more, he felt like did have a better idea of his surroundings. It was almost inexplicable; sometimes he felt closed in, like the trees were tall and encroaching, other times he could somehow sense they were crossing a clearing. He could hear animals snuffling in the distance, birds singing overhead. Like
it or not, the elf was right, he didn’t use all his senses to their full potential.

  When they eventually arrived back at the camp, their companions had brought the bandit leader out of the hut and were having a heated discussion on how best to deal with him. Votrex and Brael, believed he should be set free, his mind having been effectively shredded by Vashni. Silus and Harald on the other hand wished to execute him. Saul thought taking him back to Briem to stand trial was the correct course of action.

  Silus was the first to notice their return, and the first thing he noticed was Korhan’s eyes tightly shut. He glared at Vashni, “What have you done to him!?”

  She shrugged, “I am teaching my Ri§ine a lesson, I am teaching him to use more of his senses... He consents to this.”

  Silus looked at Korhan, “Korhan?”

  “Yes, I am happy with the situation...”

  Silus shook his head in disbelief, “You’re mad, you’re utterly mad!”

  Saul cut in at that point, “Come, we must tarry no longer, we need to decide what to do with the bandit chief... Whom Vashni has rendered a gibbering idiot...”

  The leader was crouched down sitting, gripping his knees, rocking back and forth; seemingly unaware of what was going on around him... A long line of drool was running down from one corner of his mouth and his eyes were locked in a vacant stare.

  Vashni stepped up to him, “Hmmph, he’s harmless now... Let him go...”

  Harald stood, grunting because of his recovering shoulder, “We should kill him, let Avanti, the Spider Queen weigh his soul...”

  Brael had a concerned look on his face at this that was hard to decipher. The fact was ‘The Truth’ was weighing heavily upon him and influencing his opinion. Saul noticed his discomfort and eyed him questioningly, “Brael?”

  The dark elf sighed and looked away from the newly created imbecile, “You cannot understand the sanctity of life... I know we’ve killed; maybe we could have avoided killing these brigands... But life is too important to allow anyone to take yours.”