The Blade Heir

A Grand Escape, part 1

The stars above Evingrad shone brightly in the darkness of the city as a chill wind wisped through the narrow roads between all of the egini. Lucius walked outside from within the warm confines of the Silverhart estate carrying a full backpack with supplies for his long journey. Siegfried followed him, carrying their weapons and a bag with scrolls slung on his shoulder. Lucius frowned as the wind whipped his hair. He buttoned the collar of his coat and threw the hood of his cloak over his head. The chill weather surprised him since the cooler autumn season was still months away.

Siegfried handed him his yew bow and sword. He took them, placing the sword in its leather scabbard and attaching the bow to his backpack. Helmer suddenly appeared at the top of the steps of the atrium. He held a scroll Lucius immediately recognized. It had been the duplicated heirloom of the Nostra house since the time of Cervantes. Lucius had studied its opening passages, which chronicled the dawn of man at the hands of Yéwa. But time had grown short and in his haste, Lucius had forgotten to pack it.

"Remember to take the eastern tunnel once you've reached the Great Tower," Helmer handed him the scroll.

Lucius tucked the scroll inside a sown pocket in his cloak, "How will we get past the sentries inside the Tower?"

"Leave that to me," Siegfried wrapped himself in a dark green cloak.

Helmer looked at them solemnly and Lucius saw a slight sadness in his eyes, "This quest will be perilous. Trust ony those whose hearts seem worthy to you and look to each other for help in desperate times. The light of D'arya——and the grace of Yéwa—be upon you both."

They both bowed in his presence and then set out on the narrow lane leading toward the western road. Lucius recalled Helmer's instructions to veer off the road when they reached the intersection. He and Siegfried cut through the houses and stayed within the shadows lest they be seen by anyone. Siegfried jogged swiftly ahead of him in absolute silence, a difficult skill for Lucius to mimic as he avoided the crunch of leaves underfoot.

A few yards ahead of them the Tower of Breninmaur loomed in the moonlight. Sentries making their rounds stood inside the tower, watching the stillness of the city from diamond-shaped windows. Torches lit the inside of their posts and revealed their faces to Siegfried's far-reaching gaze.

"Six sentries are keeping watch from inside. Their sight will catch our movement in a yard or less," the elf whispered. He crouched behind a tall bush and signaled Lucius to stay behind him.

"How will we ever get past them?" Lucius asked, calculating the odds of successfully escaping the sight of six trained elf-warriors and not liking the result.

"Fear not, Lucius, the magic of D'arya will deliver us from their sight," Siegfried said.

"I do not know any of the magical elven songs, Sieg. And even if I did, men do not inherit the magical abilities of the elf clans," he said resentfully.

"No songs are needed," Siegfried pulled out two transparent spheres from a pouch on his belt. He handed one to him, "Put this in your mouth, but do not swallow it!"

Lucius raised his brow, but at Siegfried's insistence he took the small sphere and set it in his mouth. He immediately felt a slight prickling on his tongue which surprised him. The feeling spread throughout his mouth and his insides. He began to panic, wanting to spit the sphere out of his mouth, but Siegfried assured him nothing was wrong. The prickling reached all of his insides and the he felt it on his skin. His right arm itched from the prickling effect and he reached with his left hand to scratch it, but as he looked down, he realized his hand was gone! They had disappeared from sight. The itching spread to his left arm and he watched it vanish before his very eyes.