The Darian Shroud - Steemit Linked Table Of Contents
Some years ago I wrote a work of fiction and while publishers have declined to put it on the shelves of bookstores I have self published the novel on Google Books.
Having recently been introduced to crypto, and reading about Steemit, I thought I'd give it a go here. If I can earn a handful of steemcoins for the novel so be it. I'll be posting a chapter per day unless it seems like that's too slow in which case I might bundle it up a bit tighter... Please let me know your thoughts in the comments, what did you like, what did you dislike as you read through feel free to offer up advice on where the characters should go or end up next - perhaps the next novel will be an "open source" one with several contributors :)
Anyway... I hope you enjoy it:
I give you: The Darian Shroud
Prologue
The flames departed. Frigid morning air burned his nostrils and the smell of burnt flesh clung to his skin and clothing. He sat beside the remnants of a small fire where glowing coals became thick punks of ash. The surrounding and falling snow avoided the warmth like water avoids oil and the ground near the small pit was warm but moist. They had lost a battle yesterday, and he, son of the emperor had been badly burned by a werlock’s spell. Two years had passed since his father Adrian had sent him to the south to lead the imperial legions against the Korenians; to where the thin air burned his lungs and the cold shattered his bones with every waking moment.
The general was approached swiftly by a young ranger with no more than twenty summers of age; two scouts followed him, both of whom looked as though they had just returned from the bush, their quivers empty.
“General Dominor, my scouts have returned with grave news.” The ranger reported.
“What is it Denovon?” The general inquired.
“The Korenians, they move on the west gate, they must have discovered it is weakly defended. They march with at least a thousand horse and thrice that in bow.”
“We must get warning to them. How much time do we have?”
“A sevenday, no more. Their witches are using magic to speed their pace, we witnessed the castings ourselves.” One of the scouts reported.
“Your quivers are empty scouts, did you encounter resistance?” Dominor asked.
“Aye, we ran into a white shadow but were able to escape, had he been mounted we may not have though. It took us all of three days to lose him.” the same scout replied.
Dominor thought for a moment.
“White shadows, werlocks and witches, I imagine half the mounted force are battle braves. This is grave news Denovon. Send a scout with three fresh horses to Westgate; we must get warning to them that they may make what preparations they can. I will order a thousand bow and five hundred horse to march, but we will be two days behind them without the assistance of magic. We must get word to my father as well, if they break the Westgate and are able to cross into Darian land, they will flood the plains, spilling their filthy seed in our wives and hurling their corrupt witchcraft upon the innocent. They must not be allowed to establish a foothold in our land.”
“Aye m’lord.” Denovon turned to this scouts and nodded to one. “See to it that Sheren has three fresh and fast horses and send him now.” He returned his solemn gaze back to the general and issued a low sigh. “General, how will we get word to Emperor Adrian swift enough?”
“I will ask about to the mages and priests, perhaps they have a trick or two up their robes that will assist us. In the meantime, get some rest Denovon, I may need you to lead the messengers to Tholen Dar.”
“Aye general. I await your orders.” With that Denovon crunched off through the snow toward a group of scouts that looked like they needed something to do.
Dominor contemplated for half the morning. He was lost, deep in his thought when his gaze landed upon a caravan leaving to return to Shoren Dar, a city far to the north on the great river hund. The river cut the land and its brackish waters had been integral in moving stone from the mountains in the east to the southlands. Large blocks of granite and marble had been carted over land for the last half of the journey from Shoren Dar to where they currently built Emperor Adrian’s great wall. The wall spanned the western breadth of the continent, from the eastern ridge of impassable mountains to the gulf where the West road met with Westgate. The wall had been for the most part complete for three years now, but it had taken the better part of a century to construct and Dominor’s father Adrian, the current emperor had hastened production toward the end, ensuring the completion during his lifetime.
Hence, Adrian’s wall was born, and behold its magnificence. Dominor recognized the significance of the wall, realized that forever it would change the face of the empire, that he would have a much different rule than his father, there would be prosperity, fewer battles, fewer deaths, and more production. Dominor would be remembered as the ruler of a peaceful empire. There would be no war.
Dominor watched the caravan with passing interest until he saw the mage sitting atop the wagon. He watched as the man wove a flow of energy like a ball of yarn into a molded form, he tore the energy from the air and hurled it at the lead horse on the wagon. The horse stomped its foot heartily and whinnied loudly. He turned to face the rear of the wagon and called out an order that Dominor didn’t hear. The son of the emperor was already on his feet approaching the mage.
Dominor was followed by an entourage of guard, dressed in a ceremonial midnight blue and silver cloak, with the Darian standard, an eagle with claws extended outward for a kill and wings spread in flight, stitched into the fabric. The cloaks hung to their feet where polished steel greaves met lobstered plate armor. They each carried a pike, but also had a short gladius and shield.
“You there, mage, your empire requires your service.” Dominor commanded.
The mage peered from his perch at the emperor’s son and the flock of blue cloaks that followed him. He didn’t appear to care at first, but his better judgment took hold of him soon enough and he hopped down from the bench. He knelt and pounded his fist to his heart, saluting the general and showing respect, although his bow left a polished learned etiquette to be desired the general wasn’t interested in policy and politic currently. He needed the mage’s help.
“Stand Mage, the empire has a need for your services and I hope for the sake of us all that you can work out a solution with me.”
“I will throw my best dagger at it my liege.” The mage replied.
“Very well, let us converse, we’ve much to discuss, but we must make haste. I am Dominor son of Adrian, heir to the empire.”
“Well met heir, I am Catilys.” He introduced.
Night had fallen before their solution had been reached. Dominor wasn’t fond of magic, he had burns to prove it. The mage worked a spell onto Denovon, the ranger accepted the magic with a nod to the general as the energy breathed into his nostrils, seeped into his pours and trickled out of his ears. He could feel the flow, like a river racing around his legs while he fished for rainbow trout in a stream with his bare hands.
“There, it is done.” The mage said, and nodded at the general.
“Do you feel it?” Dominor asked.
“Feels strange… but I don’t feel faster.” Denovon replied.
“You must oath something, anything to Dominor, and you should then feel it.”
“Very well, I do hereby swear to you Dominor, that I will fetch your sword and return it to you with the utmost haste.” Denovon swore.
“You must use the word oath, speak this I do oath in the end of your vow.” The mage corrected.
Denovon tried again. “I will fetch your sword and return it to you with the utmost of haste, this I do oath.”
And this time, Denovon did feel something. First he thought it was hunger, then it began to feel like thirst, his throat and mouth felt dry, and he felt an uncontrollable urge to go somewhere, he didn’t really know where though, he just knew he had to move, and move fast.
“Is it working?” Dominor asked.
“Aye, I think that it is.” Denovon replied, “I feel hungry, thirsty, now I feel like running, running as fast as I can and never stopping. It’s strange really. I’ve never felt anything like it. I had better go get your sword.” They all shared a laugh, but Denovon really moved with a sense or urgency to retrieve Dominor’s sword, so quickly in fact that he neglected to salute when he spun on his heel and started for the armory tent.
When Denovon returned, he carried Dominor’s sword in hand, a shining piece of worked steel folded thousands of times over with an edge that was strengthened with every strike.
“Alright, well, shall we get on with it then, Denovon, this day and the days to come are the most important in your life. You must return to Tholen Dar and get word to my father. He must know our status, he must know of Westgate so he might send reinforcements to Shoren Dar. I ask you to oath to me Denovon, oath to me and bind your word with the magic of that oath, oath that you will bring word to my father and you will not rest until you have done so.”
“I will return to Tholen Dar, bringing word of the war to Adrian Dar, I will not rest until I have reached the city and reported to the emperor myself. This I do oath.” Denovon said.
The three of them paused for a moment, Catilys spoke first. “You should be feeling an urge, as though you must feed or drink.”
“Aye, I feel it.” Denovon reported. I had better get on my horse and start north then.
Denovon wasted no time, he and four horses were feasting on trail before the sun broke mid day.
“Are you sure this will work?” Dominor asked.
“It works with horses, people are not much different, they just need a bigger radish. I placed enough power into the spell, it will last for weeks, if not a full moon.” Catilys said.
“Will he be hurt?” Dominor asked
“Does it matter?” Catilys retorted, knowing the answer.
Dominor released Catilys and returned to the other pressing duties he had, hoping that Denovon could make it to his father before the Korenians broke through Westgate and flooded their lands with their filth.
Almost three weeks had passed, Denovon had just reached Heden Dar, more than half way. He hadn’t slept a single day, his body couldn’t stop, he felt the flow around him, like a river that wouldn’t relent. The unyielding torrent kept him on the trail, moving him ever forward, driving him, driving him.
Another four days and he was at the Northern Passage, the Valley of the Dead. Gigantic statues of forgotten kings and emperors carved into each side of the valley watched over the steps of previously worked cropland. Truly magnificent, but Denovon didn’t notice them. He plodded along at a driving pace.
He reached Tholen Dar after the seventh day of the third week, a full cycle of the moon, his thirst to fulfill the oath nagged at the back of his mind with the intensity worse than any itch he had ever felt. He needed to speak to Adrian, he approached the first pikeman he saw, a tall man with a feathered helm and blue cape.
“I demand a presence with Emperor Adrian, I must report to him, I have word from the battle at the wall.” Denovon said, pleading.
“My gods soldier, what happened to your horses?” The pikeman asked.
Denovon hadn’t noticed that his horses must be in poor shape although he had changed them out in, what city had he changed them out in? He couldn’t remember. He knew that he had, he must have, it didn’t matter, the emperor, that’s all that mattered. “I must speak with the emperor. I have oathed to do so to Heir Dominor.”
“Aye, we shall see to that, shan’t we find you a bath first scout?”
Bath, what was a bath? No, of course not a bath, no, the emperor, he must be here somewhere, must be in the city. Where was the emperor why hadn’t he been taken to him yet? “Step aside soldier, I shall see the emperor now.” Denovon ordered and made a move to push through the pikeman.
The blue cloaked pikeman was not amused and threw his heavy shaft in the way of the ranger and shifted his weight to a more defensive position. “The emperor will see you when you have reported to his court in a proper manner, but you won’t get far pushing me aside friend, I am the door here and…” The pikeman’s statement was cut half way through, rather his head was cut half way off, as Denovon’s sword sang from its scabbard and in one swift motion tore through the pikeman’s throat. Blood showered onto the ranger in pulses, and the body collapsed.
This raised a bit of attention from around him and had it not happened where it had under the circumstances in which he was currently in, Denovon would already be dead, but no one around him could believe what they had just witnessed. That was not the way Darian’s fought, there was honor in the way a Darian resolved a dispute if it was to be resolved with steel. And there was no honor in that kill. There was not much in that kill at all but one strike, and it reminded the veterans standing nearby of the way Korenian’s fought, the southlanders, and their one strike kills. It would have reminded Denovon of it as well, he had nearly lost his head many times had it not been for a shield at his side or a scout taking out a battle brave that he faced off with. It would have reminded him, except that the only thing that mattered to him was the emperor. And he was again on the move, faster than his weak legs should have been able to carry him.
Denovon never reached the emperor. By the time he had reached the inner chamber that would contain the man whom he could speak to in order to be rid of this oath, he had been taken down by a countless number of men. Denovon killed many of them, but eventually he was subdued. He could hear the voice of the emperor in the distance, he could hear “Alive, I want him alive!” but then night fell and he heard, nor saw nothing but blackness. But what he felt was absolutely horrific.
His body was burning, it felt as though flames licked every part of his skin with scorching tongues and bit with razor sharp teeth. The river flowed over him, raced through him like the rapids of the river hund in the eastern hills, but it didn’t put out the flames. Each moment that passed brought nothing but more agony. Why hadn’t someone put him out yet? He cried, at least he thought he was crying he couldn’t remember what that was anyway. He screamed or thought he did, because he could hear nothing. Time passed. He wasn’t sure how much time, he fell to his knees often, because it seemed to feel like the thing to do when your body was on fire. He stayed like this for quite some time, burning in the darkness while the river without water flowed over and through him with more and more power each day.
Darkness was replaced by a scorchingly bright light one morning when Denovon, (was that his name?), was greeted by a man in a robe. He saw the man’s lips moving but didn’t realize that he was being spoken to until he heard the man a moment later say a word that caught his attention. Emperor.
Yes, emperor, that worked, the flames receded for a moment, he could feel his arms and legs again, as they should be felt and not as though they had been thrust into an oven. Yes, emperor.
Denovon tried his voice. “Emperor.” He said shakily and nodded enthusiastically.
The robed man nodded and asked “What would you like to tell the emperor?”
For a moment, everything was clear and he could remember. “Westgate, it is under attack, Dominor has asked for reinforcements, everything that can be spared.” Denovon felt good for a moment, but his throat felt dry, he felt thirsty.
“Very well, I shall give your message to the emperor, perhaps he shall spare your life and you may continue your pathetic and apparently painful existence here.”
Denovon was at first confused, but when the door closed behind the robed man, it became very clear. The flames returned.