Aishod: The Start of A Journey
Sharra Veltheer
Published by Sharra Veltheer at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 Sharra Veltheer
Smashwords Edition.
Dedicated Josh, who is my love and inspiration for so many things, And to Talena who helped me find ways to get around my writers block.
To all of the people who have supported me through the years, I love you all.
Preface:
Aishod is my first attempt at a fantasy novel, and my first real writing challenge that I set myself. I have had the three main women in my character stockpile for some time now, and it’s nice to see them finally get into one of my stories.
Chapter One : The Deal
Princess Pippa unbraided her hair so if fell over her shoulders. If she was going to successfully sneak out of the castle she was going to have to look nothing like how she normally did. she changed from her normal castle gown to a sturdy pink dress with good boots. she affixed a belt around her waist and tied as many magical products to it as she could. She drew her cloak around her shoulders and made her way to the door.
She snuck out of her chambers. Her uncle Tibbott, the steward of Kutar had tried to keep her in the dark since her mother’s illness, but Pippa wasn’t stupid, she was taught at the Isryt Academy of Magic. Pippa knew full well why Queen Noryn was sick, but accusing Tibbott of treason would get her thrown in the dungeon.
Instead she’d fight his cunning with her own, she was of the royal Kutar family and knew how to play the game of wits very well. She had been doing it a long time at Isryt with the other houses of magic.
She crept down the hallway holding her topaz and quickly cast an Oblivious spell on the guards through it. Casually she walked passed them and they didn’t notice her. Tibbott may be cunning, but he neglected to pay attention to Pippa’s magic skills.
As soon as she was out of the castle she drew her cloak over her head to hide her face, and drifted into he street and tried to blend into the crowd.
She searched her way through the crowd for a tavern called ‘Our Lady Kutar’ she heard a rumour of a Mercenary who was of the Klee Clan staying there.
The Klee Clan massacre was a tragedy devised by Tibbott, Pippa was still unsure why he slaughtered the Klee but she knew this Klee mercenary would help her stop whatever it was Tibbott was planning, even if it were purely for revenge. Pippa was willing to take all the aid she could.
She glanced at the signs hanging above, searching for the tavern she wanted.
“Ahh perfect,” She whispered to herself when she found what she was looking for. She slid in carefully and was greeted by a blast of music and the smell of smoke and ale.
“Evening madam,” A busty barmaid with a very low cut dress bowed, “Looking for anything in particular?” She enquired. Her accent was on from Hiem, the Kingdom to the far north.
“Wine, thank you,” Pippa replied, the maid bowed again and scurried across the bar, several male patrons pinched her behind as she crossed the room.
Pippa scanned for the tell tale signs of the Klee clan and spotted a woman with a metal breast place and metal shin guards, drinking quietly to herself in the corner. She had a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to her right leg. The Klee straw blond she had was cut traditionally short and had with red tufts dangling down, longer than the rest, in front of her ears. Her Indigo eyes were a dead give away of her heritage. There were many who dyed their hair to scam people into hiring them, but this woman was the real thing. Klee were renowned for their Hunter’s Bowmanship and their Mage’s healing spells, which made those who survived the massacre highly sort after.
“You’re the Klee mercenary I have heard rumours about?” Pippa slipped into the seat opposite the woman. she tried to keep her voice steady and confident. she wasn’t sure this woman was going to like what she would be telling her.
“Who’s asking?” she gave Pippa a sideways glance. her voice was cold, like she didn’t care about much any more.
“Your wine ma’am,” The barmaid appeared holding a mug of wine. Pippa handed her a silver coin and the maid wondered back into the crowd of patrons.
Pippa lifted back her cloaks hood so the woman could see her face. she was painfully aware of how closely she was inspecting her.
“I’m seeking revenge, just like you, My name is Pippa Noryn Kutar.” she said, the woman bared her teeth angrily.
“What has the Nightmare done to his pampered Niece” she spat. Pippa retreated slightly, the woman was more frightening when she was angry than when she was cold and unfeeling.
“Since I returned from Isryt, I have been kept a prisoner of the castle, and he has been poisoning my mother for the last 13 years.” Pippa replied coldly. She did not like people thinking her spoilt. Since her Mother’s ‘illness’ she had become anything but spoilt.
“Yet here you are in ‘Our Lady Kutar.” The woman snarled, unimpressed with Pippa’s reasoning for talking to her. “Doesn’t look like you’re a prisoner of the castle,”
“I was taught at the Isryt Academy of Magic, it is not overly difficult to slip past brick headed guards.” Pippa snapped and made a quick movement of her hand to cast and Inconspicuous spell to divert anyone who may be eavesdropping.
“What did you just do?” The woman said quickly and glared at her like she had done something horrible.
“I made us inconspicuous so no one eavesdrops” Pippa snapped, “My Uncle is planning something and I need to stop him.” Pippa started, “It started with poisoning my mother to keep her bedridden and unable to run the Kingdom, but I think the real plan begun with the massacre of your people.” The woman bared her teeth again. Pippa knew she hit a sore spot. “I need to find out why he did it, and what he was looking for.”
“How should I know?” she responded harshly “I was thirteen and out hunting.”
“And I nine and at Isryt,” Pippa shot back, “Surely there was something Tibbott was after?” she pondered aloud
“I haven’t the slightest,” she scoffed, and crossed her arms grumpily.
“Did the Klee protect anything?” Pippa asked, “Some sacred item?” She tried to reason out why Tibbott had attacked the people of Klee.
“We protected the Guardian of Spirit’s shrine, Just like the Kutar are supposed to protect the Guardian of Darkness’s shrine,” she replied. She looked as though she wanted Pippa gone.
“The Guardians of Magic,” Pippa mused to herself, ignoring the Klee Mercenary. “Would you travel with me to Nyx’s shrine to the west to see if there is anything off there?” she inquired, “I will pay you of course,” she added. She hoped she would accept. the woman’s manner slowly changed from angry and cold to intrigued and amused through the silence while Pippa waited for a response.
“You’re telling me you want me to go with you to figure out what the nightmare is up to and stop him?” She asked with a grin, “and you’re going to pay me for it?” she moved to get a closer look at Pippa.
“I most certainly intend to pay for your services, is that not the custom with a mercenary?” Pippa replied, she was a little confused, “and I imagine you wish to deliver the killing blow”she added hastily and the woman begun laughing.
“You have yourself a deal princess,” She held out her hand. “I’ll stick with you until that bastard is dead” Pippa shook her hand to seal the deal.
“Excellent, we leave for the shine at sunrise.” Pippa smiled.
“Name’s Ivy,” the Klee woman introduced herself, with a chuckle.
“A pleasure.” Pippa replied and smiled, satisfied.
Chapter Two: Path to the Shrine
Ivy couldn’t believe her luck. Princess Pippa Kutar was helping her take revenge, and paying her for it! If she weren’t in the middle of the street she would have jumped for joy. The Princess had told her to wait at the Western Gate for her at sunrise and Ivy arrived and hour early to make sure they had a way out. Judging from the guards that were not letting anyone through, the chances of the princess and herself getting out were very slim.
Their first stop was the shrine of Nyx; Guardian of Darkness. Ivy shuddered, she’d seen the dark magic taught in Kutar when she returned to her destroyed village. Tibbott had invaded Klee when she was out hunting, she’d come home to find her clan butchered like animals, and to her horror, many had been resurrected through necromancy. Ivy fled for days before she realised they wouldn’t stop unless she killed them. It broke her heart to have to kill her clan a second time.
Light was beginning to flood the city, which meant the sun was rising and the Princess was late. Ivy leaned against a wall nearby to watch as the guards told people they weren’t getting out any time soon.
“My apologies.” Pippa appeared beside Ivy and whispered breathlessly.
“Where the hell did you come from?” Ivy snapped. The Princess had appeared from nowhere.
“Inconspicuous spell.” Pippa replied simply, “There were more guards roaming the castle than usual so my Oblivious didn’t work.” she glanced at the guards who turned away a family with a cart.
“How do you suppose we’re going to get past them. They ain’t letting anyone in or out.” Ivy pointed to the two men clad in plate armour and armed with crossbows and a sword each, turning people away from the gate.
“They will noticed us even with an inconspicuous spell.” Pippa said aloud to herself thinking her way through the problem at hand. “Maybe a Compelling charm?” she suggested, looking up at Ivy who was a least a foot taller than Pippa. In the tavern she hadn’t noticed because they were sitting, but here in the street the difference in their height was great.
“Just what did they teach you and Isryt?” Ivy asked quietly, the magical institution of Aishod taught dark magic to its students. The very thought of it sickened Ivy.
“The basics in Magic of Darkness.” Pippa said hastily, “Lets go.” She tugged on Ivy’s shirt. They walked steadily over to the gate, trying not to arouse suspicion.
“My friend and I need to get through the gate,” Pippa said sweetly to one of the guards. She battered her eyelashes in attempt to make him let her through without magic.
“No one is allowed through by order of the Steward,” the guard replied dully, apparently she wasn’t the only one who tried to butter him up in that fashion. Ivy glanced at Pippa and saw her make a slight hand movement.
“But we really need to get passed,” She whined like a child that wasn’t getting her own way.
“Go through,” the guard muttered, Pippa smiled and followed Ivy who had already started walking out of the city.
“You said you learnt the basic Magic of Darkness,” Ivy started up conversation, “What does that include?” she asked curiously. She was admittedly very ignorant about the magic of Kutar and after seeing what Pippa had done she was curious as to what kind of magic the Kutar used, and what was forbidden.
“Well it was mostly mind tricks, things like Compelling and Oblivious spells, and some summoning” Pippa explained, oblivious as to why Ivy was asking.
“Summoning?” Ivy’s insides froze, Summoning included the dead. At least it did for the Magic of Darkness.
“Of course, Cats, Scorpions and Rats.” She reeled through a list of animals, but she did not mention what Ivy feared.
“Necromancy?” Ivy asked cautiously, hoping it wasn’t part of the list.
“Forbidden magic,” Pippa replied, “They would not have taught me that even if I had the desire to learn” Ivy sighed with relief, glad she was not hired by a necromancer.
“That’s good,” Ivy said. Ivy didn’t want to run into any more Horrors. She’d seen enough of those back in Klee.
They continued down the long path to the shrine in silence. It was at least a half day’s walk to the shrine from the city of Kutar, which would be why the Princess called Ivy to the gate at sunrise. Trees litter the side of the path but they gave little shelter, there were many meadows full of flowers, since it was late spring. Ivy was bored of walking, she often took rides with farmers when she was travelling alone, she wonder what other animals Pippa could summon.
“Any chance you could summon us a horse and cart?” Ivy asked cheekily, Pippa gave her a sideways glance.
“Summoning horses is a Forest Magic spell,” Pippa replied, she sounded somewhat offended by the request. “I can not use forest magic unless I have the power of the Forest guardian” Pippa explained.
“Now I remember why I chose to be a hunter,” Ivy muttered, “Magic is complicated.” She never did like magic, even as a child.
“It is only complicated once you learn spells,” Pippa responded haughtily, “Do you wish for me to teach you magic? Some basics perhaps?” Pippa offered.
“Sure, it should help since we’re going to see a lot of it.” Ivy agreed reluctantly.
“You are aware of the 7 guardians of Magic: Water, Fire, Sand, Forest, Snow, Spirit and Darkness?” Pippa begun, she sounded just like the elders back in Klee. Ivy rolled her eyes but listened anyway.
“Raan, Nuri, Silas, Yuma, Nieva, Anima and Nyx.” Ivy recited their names in a bored tone.
“You understand that you may only harness their magic with the Spark.” Pippa continued her lecture, “Which would mean, that if you had Anima’s Spark, you would be the only person able to use the Magic of Spirit.”
“What?” Ivy stared at Pippa in shock, “Me?” Ivy didn’t know the first thing about magic, let alone whether she had the ‘Spark.’
“The rumour around Isryt was none of the Klee allowed an outsider gain the Spark of Anima, so there was no one to teach or learn there.” Pippa explained she was beginning to become very excited about the idea of Spirit Magic. Without warning Ivy drew her bow with lightning speed and fired.
“What in Aishod?” Pippa’s eyes locked on what Ivy had shot.
“Necromancy,” Ivy growled and nocked another arrow.
Chapter Three: First Encounter
Pippa had never seen necromancy before, it intrigued and horrified her at the same time. Bodies of the deceased reanimated with the will of the summoner. There were charging towards them through the threes and hills, Pippa could not work out where they were coming from.
Ivy was standing beside her, firing off a flurry of arrows, taking out as many of the dead as she could. If Pippa could help, she would, but her magic did not include projectiles.
“I think Tibbott was expecting someone to come investigate the shrine.” Ivy snarled and took out two dead with one shot.
“I am not surprised.” Pippa retorted and spotted one of the dead coming a lot closer than she liked. “You missed one!” she shrieked and hid behind Ivy. Ivy responded by launching two arrows instead of only one, both hit their marks.
“You know magic don’t you?” Ivy snapped, and continued to release a barrage of arrows onto the dead. “I could use a hand here.” She growled, Pippa was having trouble breathing, she was terrified of what would happen if Ivy missed more than one.
“My magic is mostly mind manipulating! You’re asking my to try and use magic that I can not do!” she replied shrilly. Projectiles and other offensive magic were part of the other Guardian’s Magic and she was not able to use them.
“Great…” Ivy muttered and continued firing as many arrows as she could at the incoming dead, the waves slowly died down. “I think they’re running out of bodies.” She commented and laughed beside herself.
“Is there anyway to keep them dead?” Ivy asked Pippa, there were no more walking corpses coming at them, but bodies littered the path in front of them.