The Crimson Claymore (35 page)

As he walked, he notice a few of the stores were open, and he came to a stop in front of one that intrigued him. Vines cascaded from the top of the building only a few spans tall and veered into every crack of the brown stone. Hanging from the door was a large red sign with carved letters that read,
Magical Enchantments.
He slid from his horse and tied the reins to a post outside before pushing through the swinging stone doors.

Inside, the shop seemed plain enough with a bunch of mechanical gadgets hanging on hooks up the walls and a few thin metal shelves with knickknacks. The floor seemed worn from generations of travel, almost as if the shop had been there longer than the city itself. Behind a marble countertop he saw an elderly man fiddling with some sort of mechanical device with a screwdriver. His head was bald except for the sides where long strands of white hair tangled down to his shoulders. Suddenly, a spring from the device slipped from his control and shot out and hit Searon in the center of the forehead.

Searon nearly lost his balance from the impact when it hit him. He stumbled and grabbed onto a shelf in the story to keep himself balanced. A large welt formed on his forehead where he had been hit. It pulsed rapidly until he rubbed it.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir,” the old man said with a deep voice through his large spectacles.

“Just don’t do that again,” Searon said as he rubbed his forehead.

“I won’t, at least not to you. Is there something I can help with you today?” the old man asked as he pushed his spectacles up his large nose.

“I’m just looking around. I have never seen a shop such as this before.” Searon glanced toward the gadget still in the old man’s hands.

“Ah, a newcomer, and by the looks of you I’d say you are a warrior, cunning and proud.”

“I am leading a force to strike against the draeyks.”

“Ah, a leader,” the man said as he rubbed at the white stubble at his chin. “There are plenty of things we have in here that you may find useful. Tell me, do you have a ranged weapon, or only that gangly claymore.”

“My claymore is the only weapon I need,” Searon said with aggravation.

“Yes, yes, of course it is. However, there may come a circumstance where you might be in a bind and in need of something with more…range. Here, let me show you something,” the old man pleaded.

He walked out from behind the counter until he reached a shelf on the wall. On the shelf were various shortbows, crossbows, throwing axes, and daggers. He searched through all of them carefully until picking up a medium-length dagger in a thin leather scabbard and handed it to Searon.

Searon studied it carefully, feeling the tip of the titanium blade that was a span long. There was no handle to it, and the curves fit perfectly into his hand. Its balance was near flawless, and the rubies sparkled almost as bright as Searon’s own.

“That is a nice throwing dagger, but I’m afraid it only has a one-time use. I am not going to be able to retrieve it after a throw,” Searon commented and attempted to hand it back.

“Ah, but that is the beauty of it. The blade and scabbard are enchanted; you will not lose it so long as the scabbard is secured to your sash.”

“How much?”

“Seven gold coins.”

“Seven? You are trying to rob me. I can sleep in a good inn for half of that.”

“Yes, you can. But can you sleep in an inn every night that comes back to you with an enchantment?”

Searon sighed, knowing the price was bloody high, and yet if the old man’s story were true, the dagger could prove useful. Normally, an entire throwing dagger set cost only a quarter of the price. He grabbed his pouch full of gold coins and set seven on the counter. It had been so long since he’d spent any of his money that losing a few gold coins didn’t matter.

He fastened the dagger to his sash and headed out of the door. Outside was no longer so quiet, and people walked about from every direction. It seemed a busy day for the shops. Strangely, he didn’t notice any of the commotion while he was inside of the shop. He turned around only to find out that the building he had just been in was no longer there. Somehow, the shop had vanished from sight, and he didn’t know if he would be able to ever find it again. Only an empty space stared back at him, and when he felt the space where the building should be, his hands only passed through air.

Searon shook his head and found his horse wandering toward him. The post that he tied Stripes to had vanished along with the shop, but at least his horse had somehow found him. He sighed and mounted his stallion before trotting back out of the main city toward the country and his brother.

Chapter 37

“W
here did you go?” Noraes asked.

Searon already brought his horse to the stable and was walking up the steps to his brother’s home. Noraes didn’t seem worried, but only mildly curious. He had been out and about for half the day, and it already approached late afternoon as he sat next to Noraes.

“I went for a walk this morning. The air was refreshing.”

His brother looked at him with genuine concern, and Searon began to wonder what was so strange about his whereabouts. He started for the door but was blocked by Noraes. The look on his brother’s face was stern and stubborn.

“You have been gone for half of the day…are you all right?”

“Have I?” Searon responded, still distracted from the events of the day.

“Yes, you have.”

“I found a shop called Magical Enchantments,” Searon claimed.

“Magical Enchantments
?
There is no such shop in the city. In fact, I have never heard of such a shop.”

“I think what I need is a drink,” Searon murmured.

“I concur, come inside.”

Searon nodded and walked inside the house. He took off his scabbard and placed his helmet on an end table before he noticed Starlyn sitting at the dining table. She wasn’t wearing her typical steel armor or even her leather armor, but instead wore a dress of light blue that fell just above her ankles. Her feet were bare, and it was the first time Searon had seen her perfectly shaped toenails. He wished his were as clean and trim as hers as he stared in bewilderment. The dress was most likely of human make because Searon couldn’t imagine where she would stash such a thing. It was made out of the finest silk he’d ever seen and he could only assume that Noraes was the one who found it. Her hair was tucked behind her ears and for the first time Searon was able to study them carefully. They were similar to human ears but the very tip had a slight point, and unlike the rest of her pale complexion, her ears were slightly pink.

“Searon, we have been worried about you,” Starlyn announced and got to her feet.

“I am fine; I was only wandering the city for some fresh air.”

“Would you like to join us for some tea?” Starlyn asked.

She stepped from her chair and opened the cabinet to grab some fine china that Searon hadn’t even realized his brother had owned. Her mood seemed abnormally happy compared to how he’d normally seen her, and he took notice right away. He watched as she fiddled with the china with a grin upon her soft face.

“What is going on?” Searon asked. “You’re not normally this chipper, Starlyn.”

“Is it noticeable?” she asked with concern spread across her eyebrows.

“By the brightness of your face and the gracefulness in your movements, it is quite noticeable.”

She blushed and whispered. “Don’t tell anyone. I have lost control of my emotions as of late.”

He smirked. “I am glad to see you happy, Starlyn.”

“It is wrong for a kheshlar to lose control like this,” Starlyn confessed.

“It is all right, Starlyn. I understand that it is hard to suppress your emotions.”

“It isn’t only that…kheshlars are forbidden from being with humans,” she cautioned.

“Ah, I see. Do no fret, Starlyn; nobody will know,” Searon said, taking his tea and blowing on it lightly.

Starlyn gently sat back down in her chair, but her hands shook lightly as she held her cup of tea. Noraes walked over to her and rested his hands on her shoulders for a moment. He bent down to kiss the top of her head before walking away to his bedroom. Starlyn’s face noticeably lit up with a small toothless smile as he did, and she blushed. Searon scooted his chair closer to Starlyn and whispered in her ear.

“I know this is more than only losing control of your emotions.”

She turned to him with eyes wide in horror. “Excuse me?”

“The way you look at him – the way your face lights up when he is around.”

“It is not allowed,” Starlyn argued with panic reaching her voice.

“Rules cannot prevent what the heart wants, Starlyn. Every rule I knew told me I should have left Victoria in that village…yet I could not.”

Noraes walked back out from the bedroom in a change of clothes. He no longer wore his casual home clothes but had a formal blue silk shirt and black slacks. Starlyn stood up as he walked over to her, but when he tried to put his arms around her waist and kiss her, she pushed him away. She quickly dashed out of the way and turned to face him.

“I must go,” she squeaked as she looked deep into his eyes.

She walked over to grab her armor while trying her best to avoid Noraes’s gaze. Her wide eyes met Searon’s for a moment as she gathered her things. Noraes walked up closer to her and grabbed her arm.

“Not so fast,” he said.

Noraes ran his hand through her hair as he kissed her lips. She tried to pull away at first, but he wouldn’t have it. Soon, she sank into the kiss, and the two were caught up in passion. She cut it short and stepped back in a flush.

“I really must go,” she said before taking one last look at the two of them and rushing out the door.

Noraes turned to look at Searon. “What was that all about?”

Searon smirked as he took a sip of his tea.

Chapter 38

S
earon stood against the breeze at the gate facing the wilderness beyond Legain. He gave half of his army back to his brother as well as a quarter of the north men to help defend. His own force would be a lot smaller than before and would be forced to make swifter strikes. It wasn’t what Searon wanted, but he also didn’t wish to leave his brother as defenseless as before.

He embraced Noraes in a half hug with a partial smile. As Noraes hugged him back, he slipped something into Searon’s sash. Noraes did it in such a way that nobody surrounding them noticed the motion except for Searon. He shook his brother’s hand before peering into his sash to find a single white rose.

“Give that to her for me,” Noraes whispered.

“I will,” Searon smiled.

“I will miss you, Brother. It has been too long, and yet our ways must part. We both live such different lives, and must go down such different paths.”

“Take care.”

Searon turned and mounted his stallion before galloping to the head of the army. Starlyn and Karceoles awaited him there along with a protection of guards. He edged close to the kheshlar and kept his hands from view by his guards or the wizard. After one hard look toward the wizard, Karceoles swiftly avoided his eyes and turned his horse away. Searon pulled out the single white rose and handed it to Starlyn. She looked around quickly to make sure nobody was watching as she snatched the beautiful flower from his hand and smelled it before tucking it into her breastplate. Her gaze strayed away from Searon to look back toward the city where she most likely searched for one last glance of Noraes.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Searon nodded and led his stallion forward, motioning his army to follow. The journey ahead of them was to be long, and he scarcely planned to stop any place for too long. All the men were ready for another long journey with thick blood pumping for another taste of battle. They did not complain, as they traveled with scarce breaks, but continued on for duty.

After a fortnight, they left the southern cities for the wilderness to the north. Searon varied from his original course to the west where he knew of a small village he had visited in the past. It seemed like such a long time ago that he traveled to the village of Augealia, and yet the memory was a fond one. He had been there long before he had followers, back when it was only him searching for stray draeyks to slaughter. After Augealia was when he had met the wandering wizard.

He hoped by coming to the old village he could discover if there were any draeyks nearby. After all, he had done them a favor the last time by destroying the savage beasts that attacked the village. Searon didn’t wish to bring the entire army into the small town. He knew there wouldn’t be enough provisions, and it might frighten the townsfolk. Instead, he pulled aside Starlyn and Sh’on.

As they walked from the camp and onto the worn road surrounded by farms, Searon noticed that not as many farmers were out and about. The farms on the sides were bare, and he only noticed two farmers that were in the gardens. Both of them looked drained of life and barely moved their shovels.

When Searon reached the gates, he noticed that there were no guards outside and the doors were shut tight. He tried to pry them open, but they were shut solid and nothing he could do would make the gate budge.

“A little help, mage?” Searon asked.

Sh’on smiled and raised a hand that glowed green, and soft sparkling left his palm that blanketed the gate. In one fluid motion, the large doors snapped open a crack. The three of them had to use their strength to pull one door far enough to slip in.

As they walked through the village, it almost looked abandoned except for a few of the guards patrolling the streets. The village was small with only a handful of shops that all appeared closed. Searon didn’t notice the shops he had seen in the village so long ago. It had been such a lively place the last time he had been there, but now it seemed so lifeless.

One of the guards Searon had recognized from the gate so long ago approached them. His sharp chin and pointed nose were unmistakable as well as his attitude. Richard was his name, and Searon remembered him all too well.

“Still killing draeyks for coin, Sir Mercenary?” the guard asked sarcastically.