The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns (15 page)

He sheathed his sword
and snuck out the back of the warehouse office building near the wharf district, and headed into the shadows and alleys.
He left the body hanging, knowing that the White Spider would find it soon and know exactly who had been there.
Kendari pulled up his cloak to conceal his face,
especially
now that he was wanted with a heavy price from the deadliest organization of criminals on the continent.
He looked to the docks through the cold winter gales that threatened more snow, seeing them calm and quiet. Nearly a hundred vessels, and the elven
assassin spotted a few that appeared to be ready to sail perhaps in the morning. He had stowed away before, and could easily survive without much food or water for six days to Harlaheim. Kendari went to sneak a view of the manifests at the harbor port office to find which vessel to board.

LCMVXI
ILCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVX

“The
Seaweed Dragon, leaves for port of Harlaheim tomorrow morning with, let’s see here, dwarven whiskey and leather goods and who cares. Small galleon, crew of seventy, old merchants and a few dwarven traders aboard, perfect.” Kendari closed the book next to the drunken old p
ort captain in the lighthouse he
had broken into. The lantern light warmed him from the cold of Chazzrynn in winter, as did being next to someone he did not have to kill. The cursed elf looked from the shadows to pier seventeen, noting the two men on the bow and one in the crows nest on watch. He eyed the faded green paint on the dragon carvings that decorated the ship, and put two gold coins into the gray bearded officer’s lap as he silently crept back out the window. The man snored and stirred in his sleep as the rush of cold night air of the coastal city breezed in and then stopped.
The Nadderi elf closed the wooden portal with scratched glass and vanished into shadow.
“Easy enough.”

Through dark overhangs of midnight lamplight from the docks, Kendari of Sti
llwood walked alone to the ships
, so he thought. He stepped past some wreckage of boardwalk that was being repaired, and kept moving past the Seaweed Dragon
as he realized
he was being followed again. He turned to the left, heading back into the city from the pier, again he saw motion on the catwalks and rooftops of the massive port city. The cursed swordsman placed his hands on his weapons then turned right toward the manor district in hopes the trackers would stay clear of the wealthy homes of nobles and such. No luck, more men appeared in front of him from the lamplit sidestreets; he was surrounded from front, rear, and above. Kendari placed his back to a lamppost and waited as nine dark cloaked men moved in.
He knew them to be who he thought, for no city guards were within sight,
surely a
courtesy of Prince Johnas Valhera.
Three of the White Spider
slid down metal ladders from the darkened balconies while the six others drew daggers, shortblades, and sabers and came within fifteen feet of the hunted swordsman.

“Over two hundred thousand in Valhirst and you men are concerned with me. I am flattered.” Kendari drew Shiver from his left hip in his right hand, and reverse gripped his second longsword in his left.

A taller and thinner human man stepped forward, lowering his cloak to reveal a clean shaven face
with tattooed markings of a spider covering its entirety. His shaved head was pale and adorned with ringed piercings through ears, eyebrows, and his lips. The tall man drew a broadsword and a pouch of what sounded to be coins. The b
ag was tossed at Kendari’s feet
and slid right up to his enchanted leather boot.

“You get the coin
and we get an ear. We say we killed you, you get to live and leave.
Otherwise, you die here Kendari. I will take the ten thousa
nd gold one way or the other.” h
is hazel eyes stared at the shorter elf, not leaving the intense gaze for even a blink and twirling his broadsword trying to intimidate the elven mark.

The Nadderi elf flipped his cloak off with a laugh and a smile. His mouth moved to say something sarcastic and wis
e, but for once, he quieted in his bluff
. His body nonchalantly turned as if to go into deep speech and thought, then sprang out with inhuman reflex that the night could not even fathom. As the eight men turned to see that he had attacked and
they
stumbled into that awareness,
their decorated leader fell dead as his cut throat and punctured chest poured blood down his twitching body. Kendari turned to the rest, leaving the ma
n to shudder into the afterlife on the cobblestones.

“And then there were eight.” h
e smirked, twirling Shiver as they rushed him. The cursed swordsman took a low crouch, and waited till they were within reach of his longswords.

Four cloaked agents slowed their pace, blades out at the elf, and waited for the circle to be full and inescapable on the cobblestone street.
The elf waited too, and allowed them to encircle him completely. The eight were breathing heavy, their breath steaming in the chill air illuminated by the nearby lantern hanging from the hook on the wooden streetsign. The elf flinched, and all eight flinched in return, drawing that familiar smile across his black swirled countenance. Kendari feigned to jump in the air forward, then turned halfway in midair, landing into a
backwards
roll the opposite direction. Between t
he close quarters of human legs
,
he narrowly tumbled past and cut across as he spun on his boot heel in full circle. His left hand blade dropped two men to the ground after the edge severed their hamstrings through to the bone. As the remaining six gave chase, the Nadderi killer leapt and stabbed Shiver into the lantern that hung, knocking it to the ground. The loud shattering of glass and flash of light was gone in a blink, yet
it was
the darkness of the street
that
was now blinding
all but Kendari
.

Shiver plunged into the side
between the ribs of a young assassin as his backward held edge sliced open the abdomen of another. In the black of night they yelled and tried to tell one another where this deadly bounty was moving. Screams of pain and fear rang more than steel in the streets, as their words were cut short with the merciless death the elf dealt them. Two more men turned to face the rapidly moving shadow, only to have their chests split wide as they attempted to parry the weapons that cut them down. Another young agent dove his saber at Kendari, then felt his wrist severed and then his throat sliced through before he could raise a parry.

“And then there were three.” t
he Nadderi walked directly towa
rd the remaining men, fearless
and confident. His eyes bore holes through theirs, Shiver steaming in the faint moonlight from the
cloud hidden
green and white moons. To his surprise, the men turned and ran. The
y
rushed toward the inner city, not looking back, hoping the elven assassin was
not in pursuit. Kendari stopped
and waited for them to be out of sight, then turned back toward the docks. He stopped and picked up the bag of coin
s by the decorated corpse that had off
ered it. He sheathed one blade
, then tossed the bag lightly
in his free hand
, testi
ng the weight.
Two hundred
,
maybe a few shy,
he thought.

“Two hundred gold crowns for an ear? Tempting my dead friend, but unfortunately I must dec
line.” t
he
deadly
swordsman of Stillwood laughed as he
bowed. He walked over the two men crawling away from cut legs and dove his steel longsword into each of their backs. Th
eir motion ceased in low groans
and Kendari walked in the darkness t
o the ship he had decided upon, to Harlaheim and the trail of an elven noble and her allies who held something terribly valuable.
Rumor had it they were heading somewhere west to more riches, dwarven riches. Kendari smiled as he pulled his cloak up once again.

Lavress
II:I

Temple of the Whitemoon, Caberra

The wood elf hunter of the Hedim Anah strapped his curved and ancient blades tig
ht, checked his armor and belts
, and then slung his longbow and quiver over his back. He could not take his eyes off of the lush lilac and fern that now grew in the alcove to the left of the wood
en
vine
d
throne. He watched hourly as the plants
had grown mystical
from where Bedesh
the satyr from Haven Glen
had been laid to rest. Somewhere deep in the earth, with Seirena
, was his
friend.
Lavress Tilaniun held back the tears that wished to fall across hi
s tan and tattooed face from
topaz eyes. Distracting himself, the savage hunter
tied his hair back, minding the braids and feathers that adorned it; each one of them a reminder of something or someone dear to him. He had no idea of how to tell Shinayne when he s
aw her that Bedesh of
had perished. He did, however, have thoughts of facing the Nadderi murderer responsible and seeing if he was accepted into the earth so readily. Being devout of the Goddess of life and nature, Lavress could not see how Kendari was
even allowed to walk
the earth
, but he would surely end that privilege in the future should he have the opportunity.

“It is time Lavress. The temple of Princess Ramaya-nun has left us and will remain in Chazzrynn for some time. I will remain here with Kilbura, do not fear, I am safe great hunter of the Hedim Anah.” Finwell-dur’s voice was soft and audible, she was not speaking to his heart or aura as she sometimes did. Her
small
fairy form fl
oated toward him,
using her
clear and radiant wings.

“Were you able to locate the Nadderi elf that killed Bedesh and Jevendial, princess?” Lavress felt the pommel of his falcata, thinking of seeing Bedesh again, thinking of them running through forests together like the wolves that adorned his blade.

“No, we were not.” Kilbura the sphinx and priest of the temple spoke with his deep feline voice. “We are uncertain if he is alive or dead. Some of the trees sensed the trolls were there for him, not to join him
,
but to kill him
. The trees are rarely ever wrong, and I doubt after your battle, the hiroon’s battle, and Bedesh’s arrow
,
that he could have survived a swarm of trolls. No one is that deadly or powerful Lavress. I feel he is no more, you should concentrate on Eliah Shendrynn now.”

“But no proof. H
e could be alive still.”

“That is true, hunter. However, we are far from there now, at least ten days by the fastest vessel humans could make. Your elven senses and tracking are needed for more urgent things. The last stolen book of high elven magic is still in the hands of Eliah
the traitor
.” Kilbura was speaking in low tones, forcing Lavress to listen close, and to focus his mind on what was at hand, not revenge. The great cat with the face of a bearded man stretched his wings and yawned a deep breath.

Lavress bowed deep to the princess Finwell-dur, touching the moon tattoo on his brow. “Blessings of the Mother upon you princess.”

“And you as well, brave protector of the Hedim Anah.” Finwell-dur bowed her head, blonde locks and curls flowing from a wind that su
rrounded her glistening fey body
.

Kilbura walked out the chambers to the steps as dryads walked in and out of the tree roots that decorated the interior of the underground temple. Their naked forms lithe and graceful
a
s any elven woman, they bowed to the priest and the hunter. Pixies, nixies, hand sized sprites, and every manner of pointy eared goblin and tiny gnome peaked out from the foliage to see the two as they walked the steps out of the sacred site. The air was warmer, the trees different, and Lavress noticed the goblins and gnomes looking at him with a myriad of colors to their eyes. They had not been in the temple before in Chazzrynn, he would have seen them.

“Where did all the little ones come from, Kilbura?” Lavress squinted to see the small foot tall forms of green skinned fey with red eyes and wide smiles of sharp teeth from a handful of fast moving goblins and bearded gnomes.

“Each temple is the same, yet different my elven friend. The chambers are the same, yet the life there differs at each location. Here in Caberra, goblins, gnomes and
wisp fairies are more common; and all are welcome of
course. The princess
Ramaya-Nun
is most likely seeing the cold and snow with all the sprites and nixies that Chazzrynn has to offer. If you were ever to travel to the temple in the far west, you would have
princess Nunwar-Lan
and
kithian to greet you. The seven temples that remain to the Whitemoon host and protect a variety, Lavress.” Kilbura bowed in return to a small goblin that scurried past on the steps.