Nightborn Page 22

  Dargan smiled at this. Shambok looked confused.

  “Could we, perhaps, hold a dance to celebrate?”

  “I don’t see why not,” said Karn.

  All present thought that was a very good idea.

  In the end, it was called the “Dragon Accord,” the peace that was brokered by Karn Korlundsson at the end of the “Siege of Gordasha.” The new King Acmon would take up residence in the palace while his coregent, Orma, would live in the basilica. The Great Chain would lower for any Uskirian merchant vessel that wanted to go south, provided their intentions were peaceful. Acmon’s first act was to issue a decree legalizing street fishing. And there was talk of replacing manticores with horses at future races in the Hippodrome.

  The dark elves were rounded up, though Tanthal’s body was never recovered. And two men formed an unlikely bond—Dargan Urgul and Ynarr Ulfrsson both thought it was time to leave their employment. Ynarr wanted to find the remainder of his honor and Dargan wanted to see the western world before it was “civilized.” And so the barbarian and the speaker to same set off together. Some wanted to rename the city New Ambracia to celebrate what everyone hailed as a coming era of peace and prosperity. Others said it was wiser to “wait and see,” but everyone agreed that it was better to not have a war than have it. Whatever the outcome, Gordasha had been saved, though it clearly would never be the same.

  —

  Karn and Thianna stood on the upper northern peninsula, near a dwarven district, where the Great Chain was anchored to a tower in the seawall. The enormous barrier shone in the setting sun with the same reddish-golden glint as Whitestorm.

  “Both forged by dwarves,” said Thianna. “I was right about that.”

  “It’s a special sword, we always knew,” said Karn.

  “Not as special as its owner,” said the frost giant, punching his arm affectionately. “Thanks for coming after me, Short Stuff. I couldn’t have made it without you.”

  “No,” said Karn, rubbing his arm and grinning. “No, you couldn’t.”

  “You’ll take the horn back to Orm, then?” Thianna asked. There was a husky note in her voice.

  “He’ll want to eat it like he did the other, I’m sure,” said Karn. He patted his satchel, where the horn was safely tucked away. “What about you?”

  For answer, Thianna gazed across the strait. The chain was being slowly lowered, disappearing under the water. New courses were being opened up for everyone.

  “Thica?” asked Karn. “I know you want to, but are you sure that’s wise?”

  “I have to go.” It was true. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll try to keep my head down.”

  “As much as that’s possible.” Karn laughed.

  “Yes, well…” Thianna dropped her gaze to where waves broke upon the rocks at the seawall’s base, then she stepped back from the edge of the drop.

  The giantess gripped Karn in a tight hug.

  “I don’t really look forward to going alone,” she said softly.

  Someone coughed behind them.

  “I could, maybe, help with that,” said Desstra.

  “How do you keep sneaking up on me like that?” marveled Karn.

  Desstra shrugged. Karn saw that the dark elf still wore the orange-patterned skin of the fire salamander. She had explained what it meant. He wasn’t sure if she wore it as a badge of shame or a mark of honor.

  “I can’t go back to the Svartálfaheim Mountains,” Desstra said. “I probably shouldn’t go anywhere near Norrøngard.”

  “So what are you saying?” asked Thianna, her eyes narrowing.

  “I could come with you,” said Desstra hopefully.

  “With me?” said Thianna. Her tone wasn’t very inviting.

  “Any company is better than none, right?”

  “I’ll think about it.” Clearly, Thianna wasn’t ready to trust the little elf, even though she had switched sides when it counted. Karn hoped the frost giantess would give Desstra a chance. Forgiveness might not come quickly, but he knew his large friend had a soft spot for underdogs.

  “Hey,” he said, suddenly noticing Desstra’s eyewear. “What are those?”

  “You like?” said the elf. She was wearing round lenses of smoked quartz. “I got them from a merchant’s stall while I was re-equipping my gear. He said they come from LongGuo or somewhere. Anyway, all this sunlight is hard on my eyes. Figured I’d need them if I’m going to be a surface dweller.”

  “They look good,” said Karn. He was pleased by the transformation that had come over the elf. “They must have been expensive, though. How much did they cost?”

  “Don’t know.” Desstra shrugged. “I gave myself a five-finger discount.”

  Karn groaned and Thianna snorted. There was apparently only so far a dark elf could change so fast.

  “You have to take her with you, Thianna,” said Karn. “She needs someone to straighten her out.”

  “I said I’d think about it,” replied Thianna.

  Desstra smiled in gratitude. She didn’t expect the giantess’s forgiveness anytime soon, if ever. But at least neither Thianna nor Karn were trying to kill her. It was better than she deserved. And more than she had hoped. Then her ears twitched. Desstra looked for the cause and noticed someone over the friends’ shoulders, approaching them along the wall.

  “You!” she said.

  The cloaked figure with the staff nodded in greeting.

  “Who’s this?” asked Thianna. She noticed the others’ consternation and tensed.

  “He—or she—followed me in Castlebriar,” said Desstra.

  “But helped us there too,” explained Karn. “When Desstra was Nesstra.”

  “And you were at the battle on the shores of the River Lux,” the elf said to the stranger.

  “I prevented the dark one from leaving the city,” replied the newcomer. “At least until other forces arrived.”

  “Who you are, then?” asked Thianna. “Friend or foe?”

  “I am someone who wanted to see you succeed in your quest,” said the stranger. “I knew the two of you could find the horn. What you accomplish together is truly remarkable.” The figure held a hand out. “May I see it?”

  “No,” said Thianna.

  “No?” said the stranger, surprised.

  “We’ve been through too much to get this thing. We’re not handing it over to anyone but the dragon who asked for it.”

  “Very well,” the cloaked figure replied. “I understand. Now let me show you something.”

  “Watch out,” yelled Karn as the staff was brought to bear. A jet of flame shot from its tip, forcing them to leap aside. Karn and Thianna were separated. Another burst of flame kept them that way.

  “You’re not going to melt the horn if you want it so badly,” said Karn.

  “No, I’m not,” said the stranger. “But I can burn one of you.”

  The staff swung back and forth between Karn and Thianna.

  “But which one of us has it?” said Karn. “You can’t take that risk, not when you’re so close…to home.”

  The stranger laughed.

  “So you guess!” A free hand tore the cloak away, revealing a woman in finely sculpted bronze armor with black leather straps. What Karn had first taken for a wizard’s magic staff was a Thican fire lance wrapped in leather. Her armor had seen better days. It was scuffed and dented, and her face was scarred.

  “You?” Thianna gasped, recognizing a former enemy. “You were one of Sydia’s soldiers! You survived!”

  “I survived,” said the woman. “But only barely. Without the horn, I couldn’t go home. Not in disgrace. Not a failure. I lived only for revenge. But when I followed you, I learned about your quest. I saw a chance for redemption.”

  “You were helping us just so we’d lead you to it,” said Karn.

  “Don’t be so angry,” said the soldier. “You could say I appreciated your talent. I knew the two of you together could find the horn.”

  “Still doesn’
t mean we’re giving it to you,” said Thianna. “And you don’t know which one of us has it.”

  “The way I see it, I have a fifty-fifty chance.” The fire lance continued to move back and forth between Karn and Thianna. The soldier thumbed the trigger. “And nothing more to lose. So, which of you gets to burn?”

  “That’s not the question you should be asking,” said Karn.

  “No?” said the soldier.

  “No,” replied the boy. “You should be asking, ‘Where’s Desstra?’ ”

  The woman screamed as her weapon was suddenly yanked from her grasp. Desstra was atop one of the crenellations of the wall, where she had cast a long, thin, and apparently sticky line that fastened on the fire lance. A jerk of her wrist sent the weapon soaring over the wall to fall into the sea below.

  The soldier snarled and drew her sword.

  “Three against one aren’t good odds,” said Karn.

  “Then let’s even them.”

  Behind Desstra, a wyvern suddenly rose into the air. Just as the elf realized something was there, its claws snatched and lifted her straight up into the sky. She kicked and struggled helplessly in its grip.

  “The horn,” said the soldier, holding a hand out.

  Thianna took a menacing step forward.

  “The horn,” the woman repeated, “or we’ll pull her arms off.”

  Karn looked to Thianna. In the air above them, Desstra stilled her kicks and watched them. She had no expectation they would give up the horn for her.

  Thianna’s head sagged. There was really only one choice.

  “Give it to her,” she told Karn.

  Desstra looked on, stunned, as Karn handed the Horn of Osius over to the Thican soldier. The woman backed away rapidly, and the wyvern dipped suddenly. The soldier leapt from the wall, and the wyvern caught her on its back. Then it rose again. She hovered in the air before them, the dark elf still dangling below the beast.

  “Let her go,” Karn called.

  “Why not?” The soldier smirked. “I have what I came for.”

  The wyvern opened its claws and Desstra fell.

  “The rocks,” yelled Karn in warning. Desstra wasn’t far enough out from the wall to avoid the rocks at its base. She would be smashed to bits.

  Thianna moved as fast as she ever had.

  Leaping from the seawall, the frost giantess slammed into the little elf as she dropped. Thianna’s momentum carried them both outward.

  Karn reached the edge of the battlements and looked down. He saw with relief the two girls splashing into the water. They had narrowly missed the rocks below, but they had missed. Then he glared at the wyvern as it sped away over the intersection of the Somber Sea and the Sparkle Sea, heading for Thica. They had lost the horn but saved the dark elf.

  In the waters below, Desstra broke the surface and gasped for breath.

  “Why?” she asked, disentangling herself from the larger girl’s embrace.

  “I’m as surprised as you are,” Thianna replied. Then she began to swim for the docks.

  Karn met them at the Grand Harbor as they came out of the water. Thianna was fuming.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she said, kicking several cargo barrels unfortunate enough to be in her way. “We’ve lost it. We’ve lost it!”

  “You did save a city,” Desstra said. “You stopped two enormous armies from slaughtering each other. That’s got to be some consolation.”

  “There is that,” said Karn. “All the people here. We stopped a war.”

  “And that’s not all,” said the elf. “You saved me. Both of you did. From more than just the fall.”

  Thianna looked first at the dark elf and then at Karn.

  “We won here, Thianna,” Karn said.

  “I know that,” she said grudgingly. “And I’ll get the horn back.”

  “We’ll get it back,” said Karn.

  “We?” said Thianna. “You’re not going back to Norrøngard?”

  “To face Orm without a horn?” he replied. “You’re the crazy one. Besides, I can’t have you rushing off again and getting into trouble. I’ve already rescued you once. You need me, and I need you.”

  “Thanks, Norrønboy,” said Thianna, already brightening. “I don’t think there’s anything the two of us can’t handle.”

  “The three of us,” said Desstra.

  Karn and Thianna looked at the dark elf.

  “I feel responsible,” she explained. “I’ve got nowhere else to be. And, face it, you two are going to need someone a lot sneakier if you’re going to pull this off.”

  “Fair enough,” said Thianna. “You can come.” She drew her sword and pointed it at her mother’s homeland. “A half giant, a barbarian, and a devious little elf. Are you ready for us, Thica? Because here we come!”

  Acmon the Anvil (ACK-mahn): A dwarf of Thican ancestry, Acmon proclaimed himself king of Ambracia but was deposed a few short years later. Legend has it that when the city (now called Gordasha) faces its greatest threat, Acmon will return. But who believes legends?

  Ambracia (am-BRAY-see-uh): A city on the eastern coast of Gordasha founded by dactyl dwarves. It was rechristened as Nova Gordion in 137 EE by Emperor Gordas after he successfully reunited the Gordion Empire. However, locals preferred the name Gordasha and Nova Gordion fell out of use. (See: Gordasha)

  Blackfire Forest: A large forest northeast of the city of Castlebriar in the country of Nelenia. The forest takes its name from a terrible fire that nearly burned it to the ground over a millennium ago.

  Castlebriar: A former Gordion outpost, now an independent city in the country of Nelenia. Once called Castrusentis (kass-troo-SENtiss), it was originally the site of a military border keep of the Gordion Empire. After the collapse of the empire, the town became an important trade center. These days Castlebriar is a city of around four thousand individuals, home to mostly humans, wood elves, gnomes, and murids.

  cockatrice (KOK-uh-triss): Said to be born from an egg laid by a chicken and incubated by a toad, the cockatrice is a strange animal with the head and legs of a rooster but the body of a dragon. Reportedly, the gaze of a cockatrice can turn a person to stone, though, not surprisingly, there are few eyewitness reports. Very rarely, a cockatrice is born with two heads, the second head being a serpent head on the end of its long tail.

  Cybelle (SIH-buh-lee): A deity of the fallen Gordion Empire still worshiped in parts of Katernia today. Cybelle is also called the Mountain Mother and is often depicted with a lion beside her. She is the goddess of wild animals, town and city walls, fertility, and corn. Yes, corn has a deity. Who knew?

  dactyl (DAK-tull): A type of seafaring dwarf native to the warmer climates of Thica and the Sacred Gordion Supremacy. Dactyls resemble other dwarves in stature but are darker-skinned, have curlier hair and more aquiline noses, and like to fish.

  Dargan Urgul (DAR-gahn UR-gull): Called the Speaker to Barbarians, Dargan Urgul is a diplomatic aide in the Uskirian royal court. It is his job to communicate with outsiders on behalf of his emperor. Dargan is intrigued by the “barbarian” countries of the west and longs to see the world before the Uskirians “civilize” it. He thinks it will be a shame when all the untamed places are brought to heel, but he knows that, really, it’s for their own good.

  Deep Shadow: The major underground city of the dark elves, located in caverns under the Svartálfaheim Mountains. Deep Shadow is the greatest city on earth, a place of incredible wonder and achievement. At least, they’ll kill anyone who says otherwise.

  Desstra (DESS-truh): An elf in training to join the Underhand, she excels at stealth, strategy, and setting traps. Despite this, her superiors question if she truly fits in with her own people.

  Fairshadow: A city of wood elves deep in the Blackfire Forest, within a few days’ journey from Castlebriar. Visitors are welcome there, as long as they don’t bring an ax.

  Flittermouse: A giant bat that is one of a colony used by the dark elves of the Underhand as flying mounts.


  Fosco Pertfingers (FOSS-koh): A gnome in the city of Castlebriar and owner of the tavern Fosco’s Folly, which caters to wee folk such as gnomes, dwarves, and murids. All are welcome at Fosco’s, but if you stand taller than five feet, you’d better watch your head!

  gnome: A small humanoid creature that is very fond of gardens and flowers. Gnomes are native to Nelenia and the neighboring country of Tho Bovo. They can appear similar to dwarves, but they are smaller and more slender, and not as fond of rocks and jewels. Also, not quite so particular about beards.

  Gordasha (gohr-DAH-shuh): Founded by dactyl dwarves from the country of Thica, this city was renamed Gordasha during the days of the Gordion Empire and was later made the capital of the Sacred Gordion Supremacy. It now has a population of around five hundred thousand people. Gordasha is located in an area of strategic importance, as it controls access to a strait between the Somber Sea and the Sparkle Sea. The city is protected by a formidable double wall on all sides. It has withstood many sieges in its history. Surely, it always will.

  Hippodrome (HIH-puh-drohm): An enormous, U-shaped race course in the city of Gordasha, the Hippodrome is roughly 1,500 feet long and 500 feet wide. It was intended for horse-drawn chariot racing, but these days the chariots are pulled by deadly manticores, to make things more “interesting,” you understand.

  hörgr (HURR-gurr): A heap of stones erected as a shrine to a Norrønir god or guardian spirit. Hörgar dot the landscape of Norrøngard, and one is found in the city of Bense in Trickster’s Market.

  Horn of Osius (OH-see-us): Actually three magical horns crafted by Osius of Talsathia (tal-SAH-thee-uh) more than a thousand years ago. The horns offer mastery over serpents, wyverns, and other reptiles. Would-be wielders are cautioned, however, that their use has a tendency to annoy large dragons.

  imperator (im-PAIR-uh-tohr): His Highness Adrius the Fourth, Ruler of the Sacred Gordion Supremacy, Monarch of the City of Gordasha, First Among Equals. The ruler of Gordasha and (ostensibly) the Sacred Gordion Supremacy. He likes to order people around, but he’s not much good when the going gets tough.

  Katernia (kuh-TUR-nee-uh): The continent of Katernia is one of the five major landmasses on the planet Qualth. It is home to a diverse range of cultures and races from many countries, from the Norrønir of the far northwest to the catfolk of Neteru in the south to the Uskirians of the northeast.