The HaRT Knight Decaverse
Presents
Heir of Magic
Chapter 46
Ranarian Village
As Alexander slowly opened his eyelids, the darkness that flowed like a liquid midnight sky before his vision dissipated and his surroundings came into focus. He was lying in a room that looked like it was completely made from knotted and woven vines. The overwhelming green clashed so badly with the surroundings he last remembered that he sat up rapidly; the sudden movement caused pain to shoot through his body.
“Slowly, young one,” someone croaked.
Alexander turned his entire body to stare at the strange creature who sat next to his bed: a giant toad that walked on its long hind legs. Light blue crystals growled on the creature’s warty skin, the effect aesthetically pleasing in an odd way.
“Where am I?” Alexander asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. Pain shot through his hand and memories flooded back as he remembered the cause of the injury. Both his hands were bandaged with what looked like seaweed.
“The city,” Alexander said, leaping from the bed and ignoring the fresh wave of pain. Another memory returned. “They captured Dante and Merrick.”
The toad creature moved to stand between Alexander and the door. A sudden gust of air in the room sent the creature flying at the ceiling, suspending it for a few seconds before releasing it so gravity could take hold.
Alexander did not wait to see what happened to the creature as it hit the ground. He pressed through the door and into the most alien village he had ever seen. Hundreds of the giant upright toads were going about daily business in the streets between structures made entirely from plants. There were vines as thick as a troll’s neck twisted together to make structures, and toadstools as large as houses—actually being used as houses. Families of the toad-people could be seen through the circular windows in the stems of the giant fungi. The entire village was built around a lake of crystal-clear water that reflected the green surroundings from every direction.
“Prince Angelus,” one creature nearby croaked.
Alexander’s overwhelmed senses finally gave way to confusion and he yelled, “Get back!” He took a slow step back. The other creatures nearby looked at the scene, strange expressions Alexander could not comprehend on their faces. “I said, get back! Shadow, Ghost!”
The black and white swords leaped into his hands in two puffs of smoke. Before he could use them, however, a sudden wave of cold spread over him and his body refused to move. With only his neck still able to move, he stared down at his body. A solid block of ice had formed around him.
“Calm yourself, Alexander!” one of the creatures croaked.
The one who had spoken stepped forward from out the crowd. It looked ancient compared to the rest. Its skin was gray and leathery and more crystals covered its body. The creature walked with a cane and its back was hunched.
“Let me go!” Alexander yelled.
“I will,” the ancient toad replied. “But only if you calm down. We are not your enemies. We are friends.”
Alexander breathed deeply. After a few seconds of gathering himself, he nodded to the toad to show he was calm now.
Instantly the ice coffin melted away, not even leaving a hint of moisture behind on Alexander’s clothes.
“Now, please sheath your swords,” the toad said.
Alexander obliged by fusing the two swords back into one and sticking them into the ground as his scabbard had been removed along with his armor.
“Thank you,” the ancient creature said before turning on the staring crowd. “The rest of you may go about your business now.”
The crowd instantly obeyed without protest.
“Where am I? And who are you?” Alexander asked, gripping his leg. The pain he had ignored before was returning with a vengeance now.
“Come, sit with me,” the toad said, leading the way to a mossy boulder.
Alexander followed without protest, leaving his sword sticking out from the ground where he had left it. When they reached the boulder, the old toad sat down with great difficulty. Alexander took the space next to the creature, his leg pounding.
“Now, where were we?” the toad asked, pulling a pipe from his bag. “Ah, yes. You wished to know where you are, and who I am. Well, to answer in order, this is the hidden village of the ranarians, and I am the ranarian leader, Buffo.” He lit his pipe and puffed.
Alexander stared at him, bewilderment shocking the pain away again. The ranarian village? Not even Dante could find this place. “How did I get here?” Alexander asked, still staring around in bafflement.
“Well, we share a mutual friend. He brought you to us in quite a predicament. You were nearly dead. If not for the phoenix tears in your system, you surely would have been.” Buffo said around the stem of his pipe.
“Mutual friend? You mean Silver?” Alexander asked as the memory of his rescuer came back.
“Is that what you call him?” Buffo gave a croaking laugh. “The man with the silver eyes, brought you.”
“So, you know who he is?” Alexander asked.
“I do,” Buffo replied.
“Who is he? I thought I was going mad for a while there. I thought I was the only one who could see him,” Alexander rambled.
“He is real and a very dear friend of mine. He is the only other person I know who is as old as me.” Buffo croaked another laugh. “But I will not tell you his name. That is his secret to tell, not mine.”
Alexander looked angry at the ancient creature sitting next to him. Finally, he had found someone else who knew Silver, and now that person would not talk about him.
“How long have I been here?” Alexander asked after a few silent moments.
“About a month. The poison in your system was very difficult to cure. But it seems my granddaughter has managed well in restoring you to health.” Buffo blew a circle of smoke.
Then that was Buffo’s daughter I had attacked back there in that room, Alexander thought with a cringe. Merrick would find this story hilarious. “Merrick!”
Alexander leaped back to his feet; his leg felt like it was being torn apart with pain at the sudden movement. He sagged back down, a grimace of pain etched on his face, “They captured Dante and Merrick. The city—”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask about any of this until much later,” Buffo cut him off. He removed the pipe from his mouth and put it away. “The man you call Silver has told me of the fate of the city and your friends. The city of Pensilisurbis still stands. Grand General Kohr saved the second wall and retook the top of the first. The armies have reached a stalemate, and neither have made any progress since you left the battle.”
“And my friends?” Alexander asked, noticing the ancient ranarian’s reluctance to answer the second question.
“As you already seem to know, they have been taken by Cain’s men. Our mutual friend, however, believes them to be alive. As long as Cain does not have you, they are too valuable to kill,” Buffo rushed through the answer.
“Cain’s Generals are probably torturing them as we speak. I need to find them; I need to rescue them,” Alexander moved to his sword before the voice of Buffo caught him in his stride.
“No!”
Alexander turned to stare at the ranarian leader with fear. No voice Alexander had ever heard had demanded so much respect or carried so much weight.
“Your friends will remain alive as long as you are not taken. If you rush in to save them in the condition you are in now, you will get both yourself and your friends killed. Even if you were at your best, I doubt you could rescue them,” Buffo said, his eyes reminding Alexander of a storm at sea. “You are not ready to face the generals. Your injuries will attest to that. You need to be patient and finish your training before you can save your friends. It is the only way.”
The truth behind those words cut deeper into Alexander than any sword could ever hope to. Buffo was right; he had failed. He had not been strong enough. “You are right. I can’t defeat them,” Alexander admitted, sinking to his knees.
Shame and self-hatred filled his entire being. After all this time, and all that training, nothing had changed. He was still the same weak child who could not stop Cain from killing his mother.
“Not yet.” A cold hand closed on Alexander’s shoulder.
Alexander turned his gaze up at Buffo who smiled down at him. “Finish your training, and gather your strength, for you are the only one with any hope of saving them.”
A smile spread across Alexander’s face as the words of the ancient ranarian reminded him of the words Chaka had said to him. As long as he kept the fire inside himself burning, he would burn away the candle.
“You’re right,” Alexander whispered. “I will finish my training; I will gather as much power as I can until I am powerful enough to walk into the prison that holds Dante and Merrick and take them back.”
“That’s my boy,” Buffo said, slapping Alexander’s back affectionately.
“Then let’s get started,” Alexander said, standing up and pulling his sword free from the ground. If it were the last thing he ever did, he would make sure he saved Merrick and Dante from Cain. No matter what the sacrifice.
To be continued in:
Crucible Chronicles
Book 2