She could feel the change immediately. The humid, dry air of Scarlet Gorge was
replaced by the crisp breeze of the high plateau, helped by the constant shade
from many huge trees. This was no young
woods like her Silverwood; this was an ancient forest. Though as she continued to walk along the
path that joined Crimson Wash with Kain’s Command – her final destination – she
noticed that for as many full and healthy trees she saw, there were just as
many tree stumps.
As she crossed through the forest a glint
of sunlight caught her eye to her left.
She left the path and ventured towards the source of the sparkle. Anneleigh rounded a large tree and was surprised to see the
greater than life sized statue of Carwin Mathos, brother of Prince Zareph and
Prince Aedraxis, the latter of whom he confronted for betrayal and paid the
ultimate price. Her memory surfaced of a
time before her absence from Telara; of Carwin calling Aedraxis on his insanity
and being struck down moments later.
The memory reminded her that the vigil had
returned her a second time, young and weak though she was, but allowed Carwin
to die. She fought off tears as she
approached the statue and began to read the inscription.
“The Vigil will always stand with you, but
it is your hand that must reveal the light.” – Lord Carwin Mathos
In memory of Lord Carwin Mathos, for his
efforts in protecting the people of Mathosia from Aedraxis and his sacrifices
for the betterment of all the goodly people of Telara.
Anneleigh kneeled before the statue.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I am sorry that you are not here to assist
us now. Your bravery would be a much
greater asset to the Guardians than my own feeble attempts.”
At her words a light was cast upon her and
Anneleigh realized this was a light from the Vigil. She stood up into the column of light and
took a long, deep breath.
“The Vigil blesses you.” She heard Tavril’s
voice say in her mind. “Remember the prophecy.”
Anneleigh wiped away her tears and steadied
herself. It would not do to arrive at
Kain’s Command looking like a weepy girl – even if that was her true nature at
this moment. She thought back to her
time in Silverwood, Gloamwood, and Scarlet Gorge. She had not been this emotional during her
trials in any of these provinces. She
considered for a moment and came to realise that the news from Fayne, and the escalation
of Alsbeth’s threat have made her feel inferior.
“I am Anneleigh of Silverwood.” She said out
loud in a strong clear voice. “I prevented
Prince Hylas from bringing Kongeegon into my forest; I prevented The Hag of
Gloamwood from taking control of the village for Regulos.” She took a deep breath and looked down at her
burned hand; an angry, red scar covered the palm of her hand from wrist to finger
tips. Fayne said the scar would be
unlikely to fade completely. “I banished
Uthyradge and closed the Rock Ridge rift before the village was destroyed.”
Anneleigh heard a rustling in the tree
beside her and startled. She had meant
her pep-talk to be for her ears only.
She was aware of how conceited it would sound to others to hear her
repeat her achievements. Walking out
from behind one of the large trees was a dwarf dressed in furs and camouflage.
“Forgive me, Anneleigh.” He said, “But if
you are she, I was sent to greet you on your journey to Kain’s Command and be
your guide.
“I... I..uh.” Was all Anneleigh could say.
“You are Anneleigh, are you not? I received word from Sanctum that Anneleigh,
an Ascended, was to come and help us on our mission. And here you are.”
Anneleigh looked down at the dwarf. “Who are you?” she asked in a tone that
suggested skepticism and distained. She immediately
thought better of her attitude and softened her voice. “I was not told to expect a guild.”
“I am Fedor Saveli, “He said, inclining his
head in a small bow, “and if you’d like to come with me, I’m sure all can be
explained when we reach the command.”
Anneleigh followed the dwarf, walking along
in silence for a few minutes.
“Kain’s Command is base camp for the 12th
Guard’s operations in Scarwood.” Fedor
explained. “There is always room for a
Guardian hero such as yourself in an operation like this, but Kain is slow to
trust outsiders. “
Anneleigh nodded and continued to walk in
silence.
Fedor pressed on. “A good first step is probably introducing
yourself to the men of the regiment.”
Anneleigh nodded again and they spent the remaining
walk in silence. When they arrived, he
brought her over to another dwarf who stood at attention at the entrance to the
tent. This dwarf was dressed in fine
clothes and he too seemed excited to see her.
“Donal, This is Anneleigh, the Ascended
Sanctum sent to aid us.”
Anneleigh nodded to Donal. “You are dressed well for a soldier. I hardly think you can fight in that getup.”
To her surprise, the dwarf chuckled. “I am no soldier. I am Marshal Kain’s personal steward. I keep his camp affairs in order so that he
can focus on more important military matters.
He is a hard man, but he values men and woman of determination. Impress him and you will have a powerful
ally.”
Anneleigh considered this. “My deeds thus far have not impressed him? He must be very hard to impress.” Anneleigh once again checked her tone. She was not sure why this hostility always
came out around dwarves. Donal, to his credit, seemed to neither
notice, nor mind.
Fedor then led Anneleigh to a young woman
dressed in a simple green uniform.
“This is Captain Ledisko. Captain, this is Anneleigh.”
Anneleigh made a small nod to the Captain
and stepped forward.
“The Sanctuary Guard, who you have met
before in your travels, is the bulk of Sanctum’s military might. We are the 12th regiment under the
command of Marshal Kain, also known as Kain’s Fist. The 12th is one of the most
decorated Sanctuary Guard regiments. The
Marshal never flinches in the face of the enemy, and our foes have learned to
fear us.” Captain Ledisko said
quickly. To Anneleigh, it sounded like a
speech she had given often – devoid of feeling and excitement. “Marshal Kain brought the 12th
Guard here in pursuit of a special mission given to him by the Vigil, but we
have found ourselves in the middle of a surge of cultist activity. “ The Captain shook her head. “Obviously you need not concern yourself with
it. For the 12th Guard, the
threat to Sanctum takes priority over anything else.”
Anneleigh nodded. “Doesn’t Marshal Kain mind the delay in his
special mission?” Anneleigh asked, resisting the urge to add a touch of sarcasm
to her voice for the last two words.
Without blinking an eye Captain Ledisko had
her answer read. “That is why you are
here, Ascended. Our primary mission here
is to help restore the ancient wards that once protected this land. The locations of the shrines behind these
wards have been lost to us, so our task is a difficult one. If that were not enough, the Defiant, House
Aelfwar, and the Endless Court all seem
to have designs on this land. We will
make sure their plans are for naught.”
She turned her attention the troops who had just arrived for further
instructions. “Excuse me.” She said
without returning her attention to Anneleigh.
Fedor took Anneleigh by the arm and pulled
her quickly away. “This military tactics
meeting is not for your ears. There is
one other you should meet.” He led her
to an even more impressive soldier.
“You look more like a knight than a
soldier.” Anneleigh said, stepping towards the man.
“That I would be, madam. Sir Martyn Myrsol, at you service. The elite core of Marshal Kain’s fighting
strength lies in us, his inner circle of knights and commissioned
officers. Find us and you will know
where the fighting is thickest.”
Anneleigh nodded as a tall man approached
the party. She of course recognised him
from her time in Mathosia, but wondered if he would also recognise her.
“Your handling of the Aelfwar problem was
most impressive, Anneleigh.” Marshal
Kain said as he came into their circle. “I
remember you, of course, from the Mathosian Civil War. It appears your long absence has not diminished
your talent.”
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