Victor Deus (Heritage of the Blood Book 1) (16 page)

“Only a few days remained of the year he needed to have the manacles ready when the Blood Mage appeared with families and friends of the hundred he had sacrificed in tow. A long battle ensued between the villagers seeking revenge and the shaman and his apprentices, but in the end they were victorious. They spent the next two days combing the Shaman's hideout making sure that all of the Dracair within were slain. The Blood Mage used the pool of blood(not knowing what lied within) to enhance his will as he caused the mountain to shake causing thousands of pounds of stones to fall down blocking the entrance, creating a tomb for his once-rival.”

“Many years later a Gray Elf raiding party chanced upon a Dracair who had become nearly feral in his time below the surface. It took some work, but eventually they found that the Dracair had been young when the attack had occurred, and he had escaped through several shafts that led deep into the earth. Having long ago claimed all of the land beneath the continent of Terravol as their own, the Fallen Elves were intrigued by the stories of what they might find in the den of the powerful Shaman. It took several months, but they eventually the Dracair's memories bore fruit, and they found the way back up into the mountain. Many of the wondrous items the Shaman had once possessed had been taken after the battle, but in one of the rooms they found an item that would make it worth all of their effort. Inside one of the side caverns sat a crater, it's walls a deep glossy red. At first it was difficult to discern the manacles at the bottom, because they were the same dark color as the crater, but find them they did.”

Nim paused, making sure that he had the boys attention, he did. “Anyway, it didn't take long for the Gray Elves to become curious as to the purpose of their new acquisition. They began by testing the manacles on their slaves, the only noticeable effect being that the manacles fit whomever they attempted to place them on. They also found that the manacles were exceptionally strong, and couldn't be broken by ordinary means. This in and of itself was quite the find, however the Grey Elf Priestesses of Yultair could feel the malicious intent emanating from the manacles and knew that there was another purpose to which they could be set. Yultair is the Gray Elf god of carnage, their chief deity, who many believe to be just another form taken by the Dracair god Relikos. The Priestesses prayed to their god, sacrificing much before they received the answer they were looking for. Yultair told them that the manacles could be used on any form of caster, be they Shaper or the chosen of a God to stop them from being able to access their power. It didn't take long for word of such a powerful artifact to get around, catching the attention of more than a few of the inhabitants of the cities down below. I'm told that the leader of a gang of rogue Grey Elves stole it from the worshipers of Yultair, using it for many years to increase her power. Eventually the manacles somehow made their way to the surface. Whether they were lost by a failed raiding party, or whoever was wearing them at the time somehow escaped doesn't really matter, only that it did.”

Nim paused to walk over to the drink counter and poured himself a little something to cure his parched throat before finishing. “The legend of these manacles had been passed down for the last few hundred years amongst select circles of the Dracair, and the Grey Elves. Tidbits of the story were slowly heard by other ears as well, which made the manacles a much sought after item for those who covet power at any cost. As we saw last night the manacles somehow ended up in that rather large collection. The man all of it belongs to not having the sense to keep such a thing hidden, caused quite a few interested parties to find out about it. The Grey Elves, Dracair, and a few minor crime lords in the Syndicate of the Raven all want the manacles. None of those groups wanted them as much as the Blood Mages however, and they rarely do their own dirty work. No, for jobs like these they contract out the work to one of their agents in whatever town, or area, that they are dealing in, letting it be known by the other parties that they will not tolerate competition.” He turned around to see the boys staring at him, their eyes wide, minds filled with new ideas and places. He figured that this was the first time the boy's had ever heard of a story like this, and he could see the look of wonderment in the boy's eyes. He studied Victor for a moment and he could see that the boy was already putting together the pieces of the story into a full image, and knew that he was nearly ready for the biggest revelation.

“So, I ask you Victor. How many other thieves did we see last night?”

“None” Victor said, his tone unusually cold and defeated.

“None!” Nim pointed his finger in the air, and then pointed at himself. “I know that I am not working for the Blood Mages, and no one else in town would make a move on the manacles before the Grey Elves, Dracair or the Syndicate made their play for them. I know that I'm not working for the Grey Elves. I have enough loathing for the Dracair that the question shouldn't even be posed, and the Syndicate has too many practices that go against my sensibilities. So, this means that you are working for someone who is an agent for one of those four parties, or more likely one of the last three parties working for the first. Now Victor, I'm going to give you a guess as to whom Ol' man Walkins works for.”

Shawnrik sat up at that last comment, not having understood the implications as they came. “What do you mean?” Shawnrik asked “Are you trying to say that…”

“Wait Shawn...” Victor's voice held only sadness, but before he could continue Shawnrik spoke again.

“But Vic, he's saying that Ol' man Walkins is working for one of those groups. One of which, I don't need to remind you, made you homeless a little more than a year ago.”

“He's right Shawn. It makes sense. All the things we've been stealing over the last few months, and his late night meetings with his “contact” in the Syndicate. It also explains why he wasn't surprised when I told him about the Blood Mage that burned down my house.” Victor's mind was racing, putting so many things together that it was giving him a headache. Nim brought him a glass of water, and before taking his place across the room.

“Wait a minute! You mean that he knew that them Mages were gonna' burn down your house?” Shawnrik's doubt was apparent in his voice.

“What were you doing on that street last year Shawn?”

“I donno', I was told to go there and stake out the neighborhood... that's funny, I don't remember what for.” Shawnrik shook his head at the last, no longer looking as sure as he had been a moment before.

“I used to go down that street a lot on my outings. I think that a mage gave me the suggestion to run there that night as well. I took off running, not knowing where my feet were taking me, until I bumped into you. Then you took me to meet him.” Victor's voice became so cold that it gave Shawnrik a shiver, and he wasn't the only one in the room that it had that effect on.

“Now wait a minute Victor! I didn't have nothin' to do wit' the fire, and I don't know about any Blood Mages. You gotta' believe me!” Shawnrik was near to tears fearing that his friend was going to hate him for something he didn't do and couldn't have known about.

Victor's expression softened, realizing that his friend thought he was angry at him. “I'm sorry Shawn. I'm not mad at you. I would like to hear the truth from Ol' man Walkins though.” Victor stood from his chair, clearly intending to head out right then for answers.

“Hold up lad.” Nim said, standing from his chair to come kneel in front of Victor. “This will be the first of many lessons that I hope to teach you. Never… ever, go seeking the truth while rage fills your gut. The only thing that will happen is something you will regret later. If you confront the situation with a cool head, you won't have to regret whatever it is you have to do. You won't have those lingering doubts that it only turned out that way because you were angry. Believe me; you do not want doubts like those plaguing you.”

Victor stood still for a while staring into Nim's reptilian gaze, while Shawnrik stared into the fire, both feeling numb. Victor was numb because things that had been nagging at him for awhile were finally coming into focus. Shawnrik was numb because his whole life looked like it was a lie, and his ideas for what the future would be like had just come crashing down; His whole life would be different from this point forward. Nim, balanced on one knee, laid a comforting hand on Victor's shoulder, not saying a word, letting the boys make the decision themselves.

“Tomorrow evening, I would like to go and talk with Ol' man Walkins, and I would like it if you would be close by when I do Nim.” Victor pushed the words out through gritted teeth. Nim nodded that he would, and that seemed to let a lot of the pressure that had been building inside Victor dissipate. “I know that you have already been exceedingly gracious to us, but I would also like to ask that you allow Shawnrik and I to stay here for a day or two until we can find a new place.”

Nim let out a chuckle, his mouth dry from holding his breath before squeezing Victor's shoulder. “Victor, you may both stay here for as long as you like. In fact, I would like to make you both a proposition when all of this is through. For now though, I think it would be best if we all retired for the evening. We can plan out any actions for tomorrow in the morning.” He ushered the boys out of the waiting room, walking in silence with them up the stairs. Nim decided to give them some time, so he left them as they reached the top of the stairs, and wished them both a good night. The two boys said goodnight, and then continued down the hall in a daze.

“What are we gonna' do now Vic?” Shawnrik whispered.

“I don't know Shawn.” Victor was wondering what would become of them as well. He looked over at his only true friend in the world, who looked like he was about ready to break down into tears, and tried to take on a cheerier tone. “But we will figure it out, together. Nothing can beat us as a team. We'll take on the world Shawnrik, you and I.”

Shawnrik cheered up a bit at this, and Victor could see the wheels in the older boy's head turning. He could tell by the look on his friends face that he was imagining them both as they grew older, taking on the world side by side. “It
will
be alright won't it Vic.”

“Yeah Shawnrik... It'll be alright. I'll see you in the morning.” They reached Victor's room, shaking each others hand goodnight, as they had done many times in the past. This time though, it somehow turned into an embrace, two friends who just found out that the world they knew was now gone, holding on to the only real thing left. It lasted only a few seconds, but it released a lot of barriers that the boys had put up earlier, each hoping with all of their might that they weren't alone. Victor opened the door to his room and slipped inside.

Shutting the door to his room Victor slid down the barrier and began to cry.
I don't know if it will be alright Shawnrik. I don't know anything. The world I thought I knew this morning is completely foreign to me now. How can I know who to trust? Can I trust you Shawnrik? Can I trust Nim? Yes, I think I can trust you Shawnrik, but how far can I trust Nim. I think he wants to use me for some game. Everyone has hidden agendas it seems. Maybe I should start making my own. Nim seems to have a lot of resources, and I know I could learn quite a bit from him. I'll let him plot out my moves for awhile, and when I think he has taught me enough, I'll leave. I might even be able to get Ashur to train Shawnrik.
As Victor's thoughts came into focus his vision cleared.
I will no longer be a pawn. This is my life. I will do what I know is right.
The next thing he said was with a clarity that had thus far evaded him in life. “It'll all be alright Shawnrik. Everything will be just fine.”

Shawnrik stood immobile at the door, held in place by the quiet sobs coming from the other side of the door, wondering if everything was really going to be alright. Suddenly the sobbing stopped, and the world was quiet, as if holding it's breathe. He realized he was standing in the hall staring at the door, and was getting ready to leave when he heard Victor say “It'll all be alright Shawnrik. Everything will be just fine.” He quickly wondered if Victor had known that he was still there. It had been said with such conviction that it seemed to draw out any doubt in Shawnrik's head, leaving only a certainty that things would indeed be alright. He resisted the urge to knock on the door, not wanting Victor to know that he had heard him crying. Instead he snuck down the hall, quietly opening the door to his room, and just as quietly closing it so that Victor wouldn't hear. As he stood inside the opulent room he reaffirmed a vow that he had made just two day's earlier.
I'm going to be there when you need me. I know now how I will be your right hand man. I'll get Ashur to train me.

Nim walked back into his waiting room to find Ashur sitting by the fire reading a book. Ashur looked rather comfortable in gentleman's clothes, with one leg crossed over the other, seemingly engrossed in whatever he was reading. He walked over to the mini bar and made himself a drink. Nim held the bottle up, asking if Ashur wanted any, but he just waved it away, pointed to the still full glass beside him.

“What are you reading?” Nim asked moving one of the chairs closer to the fire.

“A book some scholar wrote on fighting techniques and the mind of a fighter… It's amazing how many things are wrong in here. I guess it just goes to show that you can try to explain something, but sometimes it just doesn't come out like it should. At least that's the way I see things.” Ashur placed a bookmark into the point he was at in the book, before setting it down on his lap.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Nim raised an eyebrow at his oldest living friend.

“Well, I heard a lot of what you were telling the boys. I've heard of these manacle things too, but I've never heard that story before.” He picked up his glass and took a sip looking at Nim over the rim.

“So I embellished a little! It's all remotely true. Sure some facts weren't as accurate as others. I don't know that there was a hundred people sacrificed, it was probably more like ten, but the story is all in the story telling. I've told you that before. I was just trying to get the boys to see the way of things in the quickest way possible. No harm done.”