DESTRUCTIVE MYTH

Drathis and Galaxy pushed through most of the day stopping for short breaks. He had found a well-used map hidden in the seat of the carriage yesterday and had packed it in along with his few supplies, but according to it, he had at least a three-week ride till he reached Talgrim. It was much further than he had anticipated, but considering what he had covered over the past few months from the Black Maser, he was more than halfway, three weeks was nothing.

He straightened in the saddle, feeling the afternoon sun on his face before it dipped its head for another cold night. The warmth had him back by the waterfall holding Sinira, the way the fearless small wizard had just climbed into his lap as if he wasn’t some dangerous stranger, she didn’t know the name of. The way her neck had been so warm, she had fitted perfectly in his arms, heating him like the sun was now. Shaking his head, he brought his focus back to the ride; the road they were traveling on hadn’t been used in many a moon, most of the tracks were hidden from the snow and other open patches showed overgrowth, he hadn’t passed another soul all day.

A winter road was indeed lonely. He frowned at the word, lonely, he had been such a sorry excuse of such a word when he was an imprisoned boy. But since his escape he had fought Gorgaknigts, seen handfuls of small villages, almost been eaten by a moss-covered forest, met one of the ten gods, been healed as much as he had fought, sailed with pirates, survived a shipwreck, survived a Hurricane of huge proportions, fought off Black Maser scum more times than he could recall, been captured by a king, tried to be enslaved, stumbled into a war in Zitex, and found his very much alive brother.

“Shit,” He whispered surprised he was still sane from it all. Yet despite it all, despite finding his own flesh and blood that had him still screaming internally with doubt that Galaleiath was indeed alive. Despite learning Dimas had ripped them apart in every sense of the word; he couldn’t shake the violet eyes that had tried so hard to see who he was; the women tattooed in his mind along with their last fight, his mind reeling with her final words.

Galaxy slowed as they neared a bridge and Drathis drew himself back to the present, climbing off to check it out. Bridges had a tendency to belong to someone, and depending on who the someone was, it could either be guarded with a way through by a few Avon coins or trapped to take much more. Sneaking nearer he strained his ears for anything out of the ordinary; an odd bird chirped and the sound of the slow-moving water under the bridge was all to be heard.

He nodded towards Galaxy and together they crossed the bridge slowly side by side. They had just about crossed when a few twigs snapped behind them; Galaxy snorted with fright, launching forward as Drathis spun around drawing his sword, how had he not heard them?

A sharp point was flying dangerously close to his neck, and he ducked rolling to the side against the wall of the bridges, pointing his sword at the attacker.

To his relief, it was nothing more than a startled mature buck that had caught his horns on a bush nearby, he dropped his sword watching it run past Galaxy, disappearing into the woods.

“Damn animal.” He grumbled before breaking into a laugh. Galaxy just stood there; her nostrils flared not impressed at all by the situation. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear it ok?” He chuckled again returning his sword walking towards her, “I had thought to find a place to sleep for tonight, but I fear the distance we have covered may not be enough to properly rest.” They both stared down the long path they had ridden weary.

Drathis pulled out the map again locating the nearest village along their journey up, there they would rest a full day. His eyes wandered again up the map to Talgrim; the mother of all kingdoms, it had been said that the gods themselves favoured it above all others. He had heard mixed rumours from the prisoners that had come and gone within the Black Maser dungeon; most said Talgrim did not exist, it was just a barren wasteland inhabited by savage tribes, that killed a man before they got nearby. A select few had said that Talgrim only allowed those that were born in Talgrim to enter and leave, no outsiders were allowed ever. Drathis had mixed feelings about it all, anyone he had asked thus far since escaping, had scoffed at the mention of Talgrim saying that after the great war Talgrim was just one of many kingdoms that fell, a baron wasteland.

Drathis had doubts, firstly, how was he to get into the place that blocked out the world? Secondly, why would it even be on the map? Granted the map displayed it as the name of a titan mountain range rather than a kingdom, but he had to believe it was still there. Talgrim had been the sister to Altahim, the place he had once called home, the place he had once had a complete family, friends, and a future.

looking back down at the map he searched again for Althahim, he had been doing so with every map he could get his hands on, the old and new, and not one, showed the forgotten place; Altahim was just a myth of a place that had supposedly been destroyed in the great war against his race. His only clue to finding it lay at Talgrim, he had to believe so. He had to believe that Altahim, once found held all the answers to who he was, what he could do, and maybe, just maybe reveal more of his kind. After all, only three families were said to have escaped alive.

He frowned at the thought, who had counted, who had been watching these three families escape? And for that matter who knew if only three had made it, for all he knew it could be a lie. His fallen brother and he could surely not be the last? Where were the other two? Could they just be a sad end as Sinira had said? How would she know? Why was she so fascinated in finding out who he was and elves in general? He could lose his mind with all the damn questions!

Galaxy nudged him gently pulling him from his thoughts.

“Right, ride.” He cleared his throat folding the map away, climbing back onto her, time to cover as much ground as they could between his brother, Dimas, and any other creatures of the night out for his soul.

* * *

A few days later Drathis had become suspicious of his own shadow. He had managed to secure a room to stay in at a village tavern, and things had been going rather smoothly, too smoothly; not once had he been attacked, ambushed, the sky didn’t throw any winged demons at him, no shifters had tried to bite him, and no-one seemed to even give him a second look.

He was no idiot, there was no way in hell Dimas had given up, there had been just one obstacle after the next. And now, sitting near a window in the tavern, he searched the skies again before returning to his meal, it was too quiet for his liking. He wasn’t complaining, he needed the break, his body said as much with all its still healing cuts, bruises, and random aches.

“More?” An elderly woman asked stopping by his table with a large jug of wine, he shook his head covering the top of his mug, she nodded about to move on when the sounds of hooves and shouts were heard. Drathis snapped his attention back to the window watching a group of riders racing towards the tavern. He tensed gripping the bone mug threatening to break it.

“What in the god’s names do they want now.” She shouted slamming the jug down on this table placing her hands on her hips, waiting as the riders pulled to a stop in a dust cloud before the tavern. Drathis released the now cracked mug pulling his cloak closer around him, perhaps this was the next obstacle, he clutched the hilt of his sword as the group of men stormed into the tavern.

“Mertal, how you doing,” The leader of the group grinned pulling down his hood and scarf dusted with snow.

“Don’t start, I don’t want you boys in here, you know what happened last time,” The elderly women ranted stepping nearer to them, “My sons spent an entire week last time fixing up this place because of you,” She shoved a finger into his chest.

“No trouble today, me and the boys are just looking for someone.”

“Another reward quest?” She sighed seeming more relaxed returning to Drathis table picking up the jug, “Sit there, I’ll be with you soon.” Taking the jug, she walked past them pointing to the bar, the men watched her then their eyes jumped to Drathis. Ready to launch at them Drathis stared back, waiting, who had sent them? They looked like just your normal bounty hunters, surely Dimas knew he could kill them with ease?

Their eyes swept him as they stepped nearer, Drathis’s hand remained on his sword watching as the man pulled his gaze from Drathis to his hand, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Leave my guests Ron, come sit,” Mertal called as she delivered a hot bowl of stew to a nearby table. Ron and his men looked to Mertal then back at him and Drathis remained still, watching them with just as much interest.

“Who are you?” Ron asked taking a slower step forward.

“Does it matter?”

Ron huffed a small laugh looking at his hand on the mug then back at the sword, “No I suppose not, I’m Ron.” He stuck his hand out in a greeting, Drathis looked at it then up, leaning back in the chair folding his arms over his chest.

“Hi Ron, Mertal is waiting for you.”

The man thinned his eyes trying to read him and seemed to be on the verge of asking more when Mertals high voice rang through the Tavern calling them. Reluctantly he turned away, back to the front of the bar with his men on his tail.

Drathis relaxed his shoulders leaning forward again to grab his mug, picking it up to take a sip when his ears caught the conversation.

“We looking for this man.”

“Let me see,” Mertal asked taking the wanted sign from the man looking at it carefully. “Quite a big reward for one man,”

“Exactly why we out looking for him in this dreaded weather, word has it that this man stole from a queen.”

Drathis nearly slapped himself, he recalled now the idiot who had helped him escape him in Gozza, what was his name?

That fool had a wanted poster of him with a large reward.

With everything that had been happening he had somehow forgotten to keep an eye out for the posters, no wonder Ron had been looking at him. Downing his drink, he decided to slip out while they were distracted, pulling the cloak again nearer he stood making his way out, sneaking a peek at the poster stopping dead in his tracks.

The poster was not of him, but he knew the face, it was the same idiot from Gozza that had taken him home to his mother, fed him, helped heal him, how ironic that the same ass that was going to report him was now on a wanted poster as well, ah and there was his name at the bottom, sorry little Paul.

Stepping out the tavern he turned back to his rented room, he wondered what the hell Paul had done to get himself on a wanted poster, the little soldier had been so bent on wanting to help him then turning on him seeing the reward, the little shit wanted to be a hero with his head in a bag sent to the queen.

He packed his things preparing to leave, the thought of him having been the face of that poster today had him revved up enough to put more miles between here and his demons.

“Leaving so soon?” The tavern inn keeper enquired as he dropped his keys off.

“Yeah, I need to cover more ground before the heavy snow starts.”

“Yes, yes, it’s nearly upon us.”

Drathis nodded placing an extra coin of thanks on the desk before leaving.

“Before you go,” The old man called leaning over his desk, “I might be able to help you.”

Drathis raised a brow looking back at the man, “Help me with what?”

“I do know a nice hot spring nearby to bathe in, it’s nice for tired souls like us.” He smiled pointing between Drathis and himself, “Might just rejuvenate you for your journey.”

“Do I look that weary?” Drathis smiled, he had thought a day of full rest would have helped, it hadn’t.

“I see enough faces to recognize the signs.” He nodded returning a smile.

“Hot springs you say? That actually sounds, tempting.”

After getting directions, Galaxy and Drathis made their way further north towards the springs, it was along the road they had to travel to Talgrim on, and just a mile or so off to the right between a mountain, and the large bottomless pit. He hadn’t passed a pit since escaping the Black Maser, and wasn’t particularly fond of being near the endless wholes that ran to the center of Relangathian, but the hot natural healing waters called to his cold bones.

Nearing the springs Drathis spotted two different groups of parties having set up a temporary camp nearby. After a quick observation, they seemed to just be normal travelers who had come to enjoy the waters. He pulled Galaxy to a stop hopping off her, scanning the area. The springs were large, randomly positioned craters in the mountainside, filled with steaming light blue shades of water framed by wet rocks, with little streams running in-between feeding the moss and small plants. The pools were all different levels, some leaking into others, some steaming more than the rest creating different sounds from trickling water to small waterfalls creating a cloud of mist above them. Just past the mountain and its jagged rocks, past the springs lay nothing but open air, the pit, and far in the distance almost invisible to the naked eye was another mountain range framing the sky.

Drathis eyebrows rose in surprise, it was bloody gorgeous, the landscape was something that belonged in a painting, and even then, it might be scoffed at as fake. Watching such a jaw-dropping scene could only be described as heaven.

He tapped Galaxies side allowing her to go on her own mission while he made his way towards the pools; a small family was in a pool closest to the road and they watched him with unease looking between themselves then back at him, clearly frightened by a lone man like him, Drathis dipped his head in greeting shrugging off his coat as he walked past, making his intentions clear that he was not there to harm them. He was greeted in return with relieved smiles and nods turning back to enjoy their pool. He hopped between the different rocks looking for the most secluded one enjoying the heat that rose up around him. The road had been so cold since leaving Zitex, he had hardly stayed warm, the natural aqua springs were just what he needed.

Stopping by one far enough away from anyone, he dropped his coat pulling his shirt off, wincing still from the muscle the snow leopard’s spike had sunk into. He sat on his haunches running his fingers over the surface feeling the steaming clear water, his fingers burnt from the cold then, the heat till feeling the true temperature. Undoing his pants, he looked around making sure he was alone; in the distance, he heard faint laughter from the family he had passed, he was ok. Undoing his pants, placing his sword on top for quick access, he covered his member with both hands looking around one last time before diving into the pool.

Bursting through the surface he shook his head freeing his hair, wiping his eyes, it was the perfect temperature, better than any bathe he had experienced. He sunk back down till the water encircled his neck letting the burning sensation from his feet and hands ease, finally warming up. Swimming to the edge, he sighed with a rare feeling of peace leaning on the rock, gazing out as the greatness of the world letting the heat work its magic.

Another distant laugh reached his ears from the small family, and he caught himself trying to recall if he had ever caught Sinira’s laugh. Frowning at the thought of her again he sunk back under the water to clear his head, the damned woman was nothing more than just another soul he had met along the road, yet, the smallest thing had his thoughts on her, and her last words to him. Something in their final fight was bugging him, her words playing on his mind.

“I’m just trying to find how many of us are left out there, I’m just trying to find my family.”

Why did she need an elf to help her find them? Had she asked his brother for help and been denied as well? Growling with frustration he came back up to the surface swimming back to the water edge.

“Damn women.” He grumbled looking out over the pit, what was it going to take, to get the violet eyes out of his system?

“This woman?” Came a silky-smooth feminine voice.