Akiri: The Scepter of Xarbaal Page 24

  He approached the altar and stripped off his shirt before picking up the Scepter. He had no desire to handle an item steeped in such legend with his bare hands. Even though the thin cloth of his garment was unlikely to offer any real protection, it still felt better than nothing at all.

  The wolf’s head medallion was hanging on the front of the altar exactly as Lord Marshio Lowd had described. Akiri considered leaving it where it was, but he had made a promise to retrieve this trinket should the opportunity arise. The jewel he had been offered in exchange was of particular magnificence and would make a fitting gift for his king.

  After shoving the medallion in his pocket, he strapped the Scepter across his back and headed out. Thankfully, the ice had remained in place, and there were no other obstacles to hinder him. Apparently, getting into this place was the challenge. Once that was achieved, one could move about freely.

  During the ride back to Plenty, he found it difficult to contain his excitement. Thoughts of home, of battle, and of being back with his men swirled around in his mind, driving him almost to distraction. His exile was nearly over, and his honor would soon be restored. He decided not to tarry in Plenty a moment longer than was necessary. It was growing dark, but that was of little matter. He would ride on through the night.

  A tiny smile crept upon his lips. Kyra called out from high above, but he was barely aware of this. For the very first time in his life, Akiri allowed his mind to become lost in the world of pleasant daydreams.

  Chapter Twenty

  On entering the town, Akiri noticed almost immediately that many of the people were regarding him with far more curiosity than he’d experienced when first arriving in Plenty. That he had returned from the temple alive seemed to be the most likely reason for their added interest. Even so, their dingy and unhealthy appearance, along with clothing that was little more than rags, served to give him a chill. It was like being watched by the dead. More unnerving still was the fact that many of them were starting to follow him, though they remained at a wary distance.

  By the time he reached Lowd’s home, there were more than two dozen men and women following in his wake. He had barely dismounted when the door flew open and the lord came hurrying out, his face alight with glee.

  “You’re back!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “By the gods. You actually made it back.”

  Akiri secured his mount. “Yes. But I cannot linger. Let us conclude our business quickly.”

  “Yes, of course.” He ushered Akiri inside and led him into a small den.

  Lowd poured them both a glass of wine, his hands trembling with excitement. Akiri set aside the glass and retrieved the medallion. The man’s eyes were immediately captivated by it.

  “I have no desire to stay and celebrate,” Akiri said. “So if you would just give me the diamond, I will be on my way.”

  But Lowd was transfixed. Moving forward slowly, he reached for the chain holding the object of his desire. Akiri made no effort to keep it from him.

  Lowd held it up at eye level, his face aglow. “Do you have any idea of how long I’ve hoped for this day?”

  “And now it has come,” Akiri told him sharply, already beginning to feel impatient.

  Lowd did not seem to hear him. “Do you know what this is?” he asked. “It was made by Kyzeech herself. She used it to punish the priests and priestesses at the temple for disobeying her laws.”

  “I have no interest in your trinket’s history,” said Akiri. He thrust out a hand. “Just give me what I came for.”

  “Perhaps you don’t care… but you should.” There was an ominous tone to Lowd’s voice as he put the chain around his neck.

  No sooner was the medallion in place than Akiri began to receive urgent messages of warning from Kyra. A moment later the howling call of a wolf carried inside the house. This was quickly followed by another, and then another. In almost no time at all, dozens of them were blending together into a single wild song.

  Akiri jumped to his feet. “What devilry is this?”

  “There is nothing to fear,” Lowd assured him. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the cloth-covered diamond. After unwrapping it, he casually tossed it over to Akiri. “Here. Take it. You have certainly earned your reward.”

  Akiri shoved the jewel into his pocket as Kyra’s warnings became ever more urgent. Danger! Danger! Danger! came through in a frenzy. It was impossible to ignore. Unsheathing his blade, he stepped aggressively toward Lowd. “You will tell me what is happening. And you will tell me now.”

  Lowd smiled. “Nothing that I didn’t make happen.” He gave a sigh. “I’m afraid I was slightly less than honest with you, my friend. The truth is, I was the one who wanted the medallion. Owning it has been my central preoccupation for the past ten years.”

  “I will ask you only one more time. What is happening outside?”

  “Why don’t you go to the window and see for yourself?”

  “No. We will go.”

  Grabbing Lowd roughly by the arm, Akiri forced him to walk ahead. They had only taken a few steps out of the room before he heard dozens of feral snarls, together with the sound of a horse whinnying in terror. He peered through the window looking out onto the front yard.

  Where the townsfolk had previously been, there were now dozens of human-sized creatures, but they were clearly no longer human any longer. With heads resembling that of a wolf, fingers tipped by long black claws, dark fur covering every inch of their bodies, and great globules of saliva dripping from evil looking fangs, they swayed to and fro exuding menacing intent. Three had already attacked Akiri’s horse, ripping it to shreds, and had begun to greedily consume large mouthfuls of its bloody flesh.

  “Lycan,” said Akiri in a half-whisper. “The whole town?”

  “Naturally,” Lowd replied.

  Akiri snatched him up by the collar. “Explain yourself.”

  Lowd simply smiled. “There is no reason to get rough. They won’t come inside. There is something about silver that repels them. That is why I have it surrounding the entire house.”

  “How did this happen to these people?” he asked.

  Lowd shrugged. “All I know is that they were cursed by the goddess Kyzeech long ago. How long ago, I couldn’t say. She cursed them and then drove them from her temple.”

  “So why are you here?”

  “I first came here many years ago with my father. We had heard the evil rumors about this place, but my father dismissed them all as nonsense. He knew there were rich silver deposits nearby and hoped to stake claims on them. He even brought a small group of mercenaries along to intimidate the locals, just in case they had already staked their own claims.”

  Lowd shook his head and chuckled. “What a fool. He marched in here thinking he would frighten the people into submission. Even as a young boy, I could see the great danger in that. Of everyone who came here, I was the only one who made it out alive.”

  Akiri tore his attention from the macabre scene outside and looked incredulously at Lowd. “And yet you willingly chose to return?”

  “Not for a long time,” he replied. “I was only eleven years old when all this happened. After my escape, my mother sent me to live with an uncle to be instructed in the art of magic. She felt it would help to protect me; but sadly, I was never very good at casting spells. But I was good at accumulating knowledge. I learned everything I possibly could about the lycan and about this town. I tracked down the origin of the legend, and in time came upon the story of the cursed followers of Kyzeech and the Temple of the Blood Moon. By the time I was old enough to return home, my mother had remarried. It wasn’t long before her worthless husband had gambled away the entire family fortune and left us destitute.” His eyes grew distant and sad. “I remember the day we were forced to leave our home. My poor mother couldn’t stop weeping.” His lips tightened. “She took her own life that very night.”

  Akiri glanced back outside. The lycan were slowly moving closer to the house.

>   “I wandered for a time,” Lowd continued, “living off the charity of relatives. But none would have me for very long. It was only when I was reduced to staying in the servants’ quarters at the manor of a distant cousin that everything changed. I learned that she was in possession of a rare jewel that was said to have been crafted by Cleofila, the goddess of healing and long life. I knew such an item would fetch a handsome price – enough to restore my fortune many times over.”

  “So you robbed your own kin?” asked Akiri, not trying to hide his contempt.

  “Not my proudest moment, to be sure. But I was desperate. So yes, I robbed her.”

  Akiri sniffed. He had seen Lowd sneaking glances at the pocket in which he had placed the diamond. “And now you intend to go back on your word and rob me as well.”

  “I’m afraid so,” he admitted. “You see, I discovered that the jewel was able to suppress even the most terrible of curses. It took some time before I was able to learn how to use it properly, but once I did, I knew I had to return here. So now, as long as the jewel is in my keeping, I am able to keep the people of Plenty in human form whenever that suits me. Which up until now has been most of the time. But as you can see, now that you possess the stone, the spell is broken. So obviously, I cannot allow you to take it with you.”

  Akiri’s anger was boiling. His desire to run the man through was almost more than he could resist. “And what purpose does the medallion serve?” he asked.

  A sinister smile crept up from the corners of Lowd’s mouth. “Ah, that is the final piece I required. It gives me absolute control over the lycan. With this in my possession, there is nothing I cannot accomplish. I will have a weapon far deadlier than any army. I can even make myself a king if I so desire.”

  Akiri removed the diamond from his pocket. He cared nothing for the petty schemes and desire of this wretch. All he cared about was returning home. How best to make that journey continue, though? It would be impossible for him to overcome so many of the unearthly creatures gathered outside. He would be safe so long as he remained in the house, but he had no intention of doing that for much longer.

  “Take your jewel then,” he said. “Make it safe for me to be on my way.”

  Lowd heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry, my friend. I cannot allow you to leave now. You have seen too much.”

  Akiri regarded him for a long moment. He then began to chuckle softly. “You are indeed a fool.”

  Lowd furled his brow. “What are you talking about?”

  “One of the first lessons I learned during my training is that battles are not always fought with steel and muscle. Should I leave your house, I will certainly die. We both know this. I cannot possibly prevail against so many creatures. And if you had a brain in your head, you would have simply allowed me to leave and then waited until the lycan had finished their work before retrieving your diamond. After all, you now have the medallion to control them. But you chose not to do this. And that was a fatal mistake.”

  He paused, aware that Lowd was still not fully grasping what he was saying. “You see, I do not have any need to fight the lycan. As you stupidly revealed to me, they will not enter this house. Placing silver around it was a wise precaution to take before gaining possession of the medallion. Should the magic of the jewel ever fail, you would still have been safe in here. But now that same protection is working against you, as the lycan cannot come to your aid. You are trapped in here… with me.”

  Like a giant wave, realization washed over Lowd. He made a wild dash for the front door. Akiri smiled coldly. To him, the man’s movements were as slow and clumsy as a wild beast with a badly broken leg. In a blindingly swift motion, his sword swept clean through Lowd’s exposed neck.

  The lord’s decapitated body halted in its tracks for an instant, then crumbled to the floor. His head rolled a few feet before coming to a halt, his terrified expression still frozen on his face.

  Akiri shook his head. If only all his enemies were as stupid.

  Outside, the lycan were becoming increasingly restless. Some had begun to attack one another in brief but savage skirmishes. Akiri could hear Kyra in his mind. She was in a state of complete panic. He picked up the medallion that was now lying in a rapidly spreading pool of blood.

  “It’s all right,” he said. “They will not hurt me.”

  But this did nothing to calm the dragon. Akiri opened the front door and took a step just beyond the threshold. His appearance sent the lycan into a wild frenzy. Several charged, sliding to a halt just short of the silver embedded walkway. They remained on the fringe, flailing their clawed hands and snapping their jaws.

  Akiri placed the medallion on the ground and calmly looked out upon the cursed assembly of creatures for a moment. Then, raising his blade vertically, he slammed the tip hard down directly between the glittering ruby eyes. In a flash of green fire, the medallion exploded into myriad tiny shards, the sheer force of it sending Akiri flying back

  As his sight returned, the cries faded away and a dead silence replaced it. Before him were the people of Plenty returned to their human form. They lay scattered about the street like fallen leaves, each of them naked and unconscious.

  A roar from Kyra overhead broke the silence, followed quickly by massive waves of relief.

  Akiri regarded his ravaged horse with a heavy sigh. This would slow him down considerably. The saddle and bags had been ripped free and thrown several yards away. As he set about retrieving these, several people began to stir. He hastened his movements, having no desire to be around when what would surely be a highly confused and frightened group started to ask questions.

  His haste was in vain. A young man with matted blond hair stumbled toward him, his arms outstretched. He was clearly trying to form words, but no sound came out at first.

  “Go to your home,” Akiri told him. “There is nothing to be done here.”

  “The… the curse,” he finally managed to croak. “It’s gone.”

  “Yes,” Akiri affirmed. “It’s gone.”

  The man dropped to his knees, his eyes darting about for a moment. Then tears began to run down his cheeks. “Was it you?”

  Four more townsfolk had awakened and were staggering over to Akiri. Grumbling, he slung his gear over his shoulder.

  “Please wait,” begged the young man. “I need to know… was it you who freed us?”

  “It was,” Akiri replied. “Lowd is dead and the medallion is destroyed.”

  This brought him to uncontrollable sobs. “Th-thank you.”

  Akiri simply nodded and started toward the street. An older woman with a bent posture and a weather worn face caught his arm. She looked at him pleadingly.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Is the curse really lifted?”

  Akiri brushed her aside. “I am sure.”

  The weeping man struggled to his feet. He tried to catch up with Akiri, but he was walking at too swift a pace.

  “Tell us your name,” the man called after him. “Please, I beg you.”

  Akiri turned his head without breaking stride. “I am Akiri.”

  Kyra trumpeted a roar as if to punctuate his words. He could feel that she approved greatly of what he had done. But the fact was, he hadn’t destroyed the medallion and lifted the curse in order to help the people of Plenty. He had merely been attempting to save his own life. He was not a hero. Enough years steeped in blood and war had taught him that, in reality, heroes did not exist. They were stories – nothing more. Kyra was making it abundantly clear to him that she did not share that view.

  It occurred to him that perhaps young dragons were not so different from young humans – both tended to be idealistic and naive. The real world did not suffer fools. And only a fool risked his life needlessly.

  “A lesson you had better learn quickly,” he told her.

  As he reached the edge of town, Kyra descended to walk beside him. He reached over to her, and this time she did not shy away. Instead, she leaned in and pressed her snout into his thigh.
Smiling, Akiri patted her fondly on the neck.

  “Come,” he said. “We have a long way yet to travel.”

  Kyra shook her head and continued at his side. Akiri felt as if this was where she truly belonged. It was easy to see why the Tul’Zahar had been so attached to their dragons.

  These comfortable and pleasing thoughts continued most of the time, but sneaking its way into them every now and then was the nagging doubt of how King Zemel would react on learning of Kyra’s presence in Acharia. The prospect of her death caused almost uncontrollable feelings of rage and desperation to rise within him.

  I must have faith in my king, he kept reminding himself.

  But no matter how much he tried to ignore it, the fact remained that his faith was being called into question. Words that his uncle had spoken continued to plague him. And the face of his mother would not leave his dreams.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Akiri purchased a horse and provisions in a small hamlet three days’ walk east of Plenty. Though a horse was vital for getting home as soon as possible, he almost regretted buying it when Kyra took to the sky and remained in flight for most of the time thereafter. He had enjoyed having her walking beside him. Time passed quickly with her inside his thoughts. It was not an invasive or disturbing thing. Far more like being with an understanding companion – something he had never had before, not even among the Dul’Buhar.

  The journey home would take several weeks, and in spite of his overwhelming desire to complete his task by delivering the Scepter of Xarbaal to his sovereign, he resolved to use the time to explore his connection with Kyra.

  Though he could still identify only a few thoughts from her clearly in his head, he found that he could know her precise location in the sky if he concentrated hard enough. He tried to call her to him on several occasions, but Kyra was stubborn and did not seem to like being summoned. Even so, he was quite sure that she would come quickly enough if he ever truly needed her.