202 - “A Rival” - Thissraelle - A Tale of Heroes

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“Thissraelle! Hurry!” her father called out to her. “Come to me!”

Thissraelle’s eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. Why is he here? He’s come for me, of course. She looked around at the fear in the eyes of her companions. He set us up. Heathrax, St. Ivarr, it was all to get me here, wasn’t it? And Eddiwarth? 

“You!” She pointed at Eddiwarth. “Did you tell him we were coming here?” He gasped and tried to speak, but the deep horrified frown on his lips told her what she needed to know.

“I... I didn’t...”

She cut him off. “Save it! He probably played you like he played me! Now we’re trapped. We can’t fight dragons. What can we do?” She spun back around to face her father. Without his Guildmaster robes, he didn’t look as commanding. He reminded her more of the fun-loving Dad she’d played with as a child. But I’m not playing games anymore! 

Thissraelle saw Karendle getting out her oculi. Parith readied his bow and jumped up on one of the railings by a column on the side of the bridge. Eddiwarth stood, confused, beside her, looking for some sort of hope in her words.

“No! You can't fight.” Thissraelle hissed at them. “It’s me he wants. I’ll distract him. All of you rush past him and get down the mountain as fast as you can. Wait—I’ll make you a portal!” She started to summon her will and held her hands forward.

Karendle grabbed her hand. “You’ll come with us, right?”

“Thissraelle!” Her father called, even more urgently. “Hurry! Come now!”

Thissraelle looked at her father, then back at Karendle. “No. I’m done with running. I’ve got to face him. Let go of me.”

“I’m not going through any portal unless you go first.” Karendle tossed Thissraelle’s hand aside. She stepped back and took her oculi, one in each hand. “We might not win but we can keep the dragons busy. You deal with your father.” Eddiwarth stepped back as well and ignited each of his hands with raging flames.

“Better hurry, they’re coming back!” Parith shouted out, drawing his bow.

Thissraelle turned back to the terrace. Well, if he wants to capture me, then he won’t actually kill me, right? Let’s see how he plays this.

“You want me?” She shouted at her father, “Then come and get me!”  Vivid shafts of dazzling light appeared in her hands as she strode toward him. Her long white hair flowed out behind her as she picked up speed. She swung her arms, throwing the bolts of light hard at him. He waved his hands and deflected them easily. She pulled her hands back as she ran, summoning more light and more will.

“Don’t fight me, m’little girl, it’s not safe!”

“If you’re so worried about me, where were you at the cathedral? Oh! Yes, you were the one that burned it down around me!”

A thunderous roar shook the canyon and an enormous dragon dove toward the bridge from the narrow slice of sky above, its open maw snarling and growling. Its expansive green wings flexed wide to break its dive and turn its massive scaly body over the bridge. Its claws, each as long as Thissraelle’s arm, crunched into the rock of the bridge as the dragon’s forelegs slammed down. The bridge shook as its muscular back legs landed. The body was big enough to block the entire walkway of the bridge. The long tail, jagged with sharp scales, swung behind and wrapped around a pillar. The hard, scaly green skin reflected the daylight. It raised its horned and spiked head up high above them and screamed a horrifying roaring shout.

Instantly, Thissraelle’s heart stopped and fell deep into her gut. Her wide eyes were bound to the face of the horror snarling some 20 feet above her. A scream sliced its way out of her chest, by way of her throat. Her feet turned her body around and she ran. I’m dead. I’m already dead. She suddenly became aware of her heartbeat pounding in her head as her feet pounded the stones.

“Thissraelle! Stop!” It was her father’s voice she heard, through the noise. Her first instinct was to stop, to obey her father, like she had done many times as a small child. This time, however, stopping was difficult and she stumbled and fell to the bridge, tumbling and rolling. As she raised her eyes to look at her father again, a second dragon, a deep red, swept over the bridge, coughing, hacking, and spitting. The walkway before her erupted in an explosion of flame, spraying burning and smoking retch all around her. The heat was unbearable. She rolled over and began scrambling on scraped hands and bruised knees back toward where she came from.

Eddiwarth knelt beside her and helped her up. She looked into his eyes. He was bleeding from a cut on his left forehead.

The dragon on the bridge roared again, this time dripping flaming drool from his tongue and teeth. He growled, forming garbled words with his mouth. “Wherrre isss...” he snarled, as he spat out smoking drops. “Where iss Heathhhraxx? Tell me now, before you die!”

<<<>>>

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201 - “Beauty and Fear” - Korr - A Tale of Heroes

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“...And vast are the works of His creation.” Vast, and so very beautiful. Korr moved to join the others that had stepped around the bend in the path. They all stood in silence, enraptured by the springs and waterfalls before them. Pungent steam filled the warm and wet air breezing down the canyon.

Thissraelle moved first, trying to step along the path but her snowshoes were clumsy on the stone. “Look! There’s no snow on the path here!” She leaned on the rock of the canyon side and reached down to untie the webbed shoe flats from her boots. Others began to do the same.

“These shoes,” Korr mused while taking his off, “were a big part of the struggle that we had to go through to get here to this place. It is interesting that they were both very difficult and even painful to use, and yet without them, the trek would not have been possible.”

“Hey, come back here!” Parith shouted at the drakeling. It had jumped from his shoulders and crawled down the path toward the terrace. Parith jumped after it, but had only removed one snowshoe, so he stumbled to his knees.

Korr carried his snowshoes under his arm and moved along the path. When he got to the terrace with the bridge, he unslung his pack and set it and the shoes down against the nearby canyon wall. He stretched his back and shoulders. Karendle and Thissraelle followed close behind.

“I’m amazed,” Korr said, “at the beauty shown here. The combination of the natural pools and the constructed shrine and path is truly artistic.”

“It is!” Thissraelle agreed.

“I wonder how it was engineered. The latticework on the bridge supports would have required...” Korr let his thought trail off.

“It was probably done magically, rather than manually. Rock shaping mages using nature powers, I would guess. It would still have been a lot of work, anyway.” She stepped toward the bridge.

“Woah, easy, hold on there!” Karendle held her arm back.

“What?”

“You’re just going to stroll across it?” Karendle looked at her in disbelief. “A little caution, please. Every old story they tell kids has trouble on bridges! Something’s below it, ready to grab you, or something’s above it, waiting to swoop in on you. Or it’s ancient and ready to crumble as soon as you step wrong. Meanwhile, halfway out, you’re caught, and vulnerable.”

Thissraelle laughed, but still hesitated.

Korr looked across the chasm. “Those stories might be nothing more than just that: stories to enthrall children. Or they might all be true. However, one thing is certain, that being that the shrine is our goal, it is on the other side of the canyon, and the bridge is the simplest way to get there.”

Eddiwarth and Parith nodded to each other. “It is what we’re here for,” Parith added as he started to cross the bridge. “Isn’t it?”

Korr followed, gesturing to the others. Thissraelle glanced at Eddiwarth for confirmation, then Karendle. Finally, she shrugged and followed.

As they moved out into the center of the canyon, they felt the wind rushing through from higher up the mountain. It was both cold from the deeper snow and higher altitudes above and a bit warm and damp from the steaming springs nearby. Korr looked forward past the others and stopped, calling out. “Hold!”
At the end of the bridge, in the shrine itself, a man stood. He was dressed in black and dark brown and carried a spear, and he had a posture like he was blocking or guarding the way. His dark brown cloak billowed in the wind. His face was hidden in the cowl. He said nothing and issued no commands. Even though the man stood defensively, and the spear was pointed to the sky, Korr instinctively moved his feet and arms into a firm and ready combat stance.

Parith’s hand went to his bow. “What...?”

Before any of them could react, there was a flash behind them. “Thissraelle!” a man’s voice called out.

Korr stepped aside and turned around to look with the others. Another man stepped onto the bridge from the terrace where they had just stood. He was older, with a light-colored and flowing robe. Thissraelle’s face was distorted with recognition, surprise, and anger.

“Oh, no. Not him!” She spat the words into the mist. “By the flames of the Creator...”

Korr returned his focus forward to the man in black. The man had not moved, nor spoken. He didn’t seem to have any reaction to the appearance of the other.

“Who is that?” Eddiwarth asked Thissraelle, gesturing at the man in the robes.

Thissraelle made a deep disapproving grunt. “It’s my father.”

“Your father?” Karendle interjected. “The one you’ve been running from? The one who sent Eddiwarth to catch you?”

“Among others, apparently.”

Karendle grunted. “No wonder you have issues.”

The small drake screeched loudly, startling everyone. It sat on the stonework of the bridge between them, staring up into the sky and flapping its wings in fear. It ran toward Parith and jumped into his arms, and crawled onto his shoulders under his cloak. Korr followed its gaze upward. A very large dragon flew through the canyon, silhouetted against the narrow slit of sky above them. It flew much lower than the one they had seen before did, and they heard its roar shake through the canyon. A second one, slightly smaller, flew close behind it.

“See?” Karendle said, “ Nothing goes right on bridges.”

<<<>>>

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200 - “Arrival” - Korr - A Tale of Heroes

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“There’s something different on the mountain today,” Karendle wondered.

Korr looked up into the clear mid-morning sky. The sun was rising slowly higher, reflecting off the snowy mountainside as they trudged slowly up the winding path. He turned around to her. The others followed the trail behind them in a line. “I believe it seems a little warmer.”

Karendle paused her steps and sniffed with her nose in the air. “Something smells a bit odd, too.” Korr pulled down the scarf that he had wrapped across his sunburned face. He breathed in the air, trying to determine what he was also smelling. It had a slightly acidic edge, unlike the sweet clearness that had so far surrounded them from day to day in the mountain.

“That’s probably just Eddiwarth’s breakfast coming back to haunt him.” Parith called out from a little farther back on the trail.

“That’s not me!” Eddiwarth protested. Thissraelle laughed.

“That’s it!” Karendle exclaimed. “You’re limited to only three pieces of jerky tonight.”

While they stood resting for a moment, Korr surveyed the path ahead. He looked up the steady slope of the snowy rock above them. Just a bit beyond where they stood was a turn, inward, into a large crevice in the mountainside. It looked to Korr as if some long forgotten half-god had grabbed the peak and split it in half all the way down to the foothills. He adjusted his pack and moved forward again.

"Is that what I think it is?" Thissraelle's voice drifted forward.

Korr turned around to explain the canyon and the path up ahead and saw Thissraelle and Eddiwarth looking high up the side of the mountain, pointing. "I think it is..." she murmured.

"We might want to get to cover, quick." Eddiwarth added. The drakeling hissed.

Korr followed their eyes. Way up in the cloudless sky, not too far from the peak of the mountain, a large dark bird circled. No, that’s too big for a bird, isn’t it? He squinted and shaded his eyes with his hand. No! It’s..

“A dragon!” Karendle shouted. “See? I told you!”

“This way!” Korr balanced his pack and lifted his snowshoed feet in a vain attempt to run. It momentarily threw him off balance, so he paused and centered himself low, then began lurching forward more methodically. He could hear the others hurrying behind him.

“Do dragons have good eyesight?” Eddiwarth wondered between his heavy breaths. It didn’t take them long to get to the canyon and follow the path inward. The mountain slopes up to the peaks on either side of the canyon were much steeper, almost like walls, and there were a lot of jagged outcroppings overhead. They all pressed against the canyon wall beside the path to take advantage of the cover and the shade.

Korr felt an odd breeze blowing across his face. Why is it warm? No—it’s not really warm. It’s just less cold.  He sniffed. And this is where that smell is coming from. 

The canyon crevice was not too wide, maybe only an arrow shot across at its narrowest. The sunshine illuminated the rocks on both sides, but not directly, instead reflecting down off of craggy outcroppings of stone frosted in snow. He stepped to the side of the path and leaned over the drop. It wasn’t as deep as he’d expected. At least, it seemed that way. A dozen or so yards down there was a dense haze of fog. He could hear running water a little farther below that.

Suddenly remembering the dragon, he glanced up and saw only sky above the crack. He nodded to the others and they all continued down the path.

The canyon and the path zigzagged several times as they moved onward, inward, and slightly upward. The snowpack on the ledge became gradually thinner and more dense as the air around them continued to warm slightly. The sound of running water became steadily louder as well. Parith kept an uneasy eye upward, but each time he looked saw only rocks, snow, and sky.

After a time, Korr, still in the lead, came to yet another bending zag in the canyon wall and turned the corner.  He froze for a moment, unable to speak or even think clearly.  Finally, he gathered his wits and stepped aside. “I think we have arrived.” He gestured for his friends to pass him.

The canyon opened up into a wider hollow. Ahead of them the far side was layered with many flat pools of hot, bubbling, steaming, blue and green water. Each pool overflowed in a sparkling waterfall down onto the staggered terraces of pools below it. Along the side of each waterfall was a cascade of long crystalline icicles where droplets had splashed to the side and been frozen to the rocks. Next to one of the larger pools just slightly below their level was a large and ornate stone porch protruding from the mountain. It jutted out a good twenty feet and was at least that wide. The ornate shaping of the pillars and the roof showed that it was obviously not naturally formed. It’s farthest edge was the steaming and burping pool itself, and the other faces were protected by a silver railing between the stone posts at each corner.

From the longest side of the porch a wide and gently sloping stonework bridge crossed the canyon gap over a latticework of stone arches whose feet stretched down into the fog. The bridge was wide enough for many people to walk side by side, and edged by a railing with tall columns every twenty feet or so, pointing up into the air. The bridge reached a similar, but smaller terrace on the near side of the canyon, and the path they were all on led up to it.

“I believe,” Korr said to his awestruck companions, “that we have found the shrine.”

<<<>>>

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199 - “Sorry Enough” - Thissraelle - A Tale of Heroes

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The moon was much lower in the western sky as Thissraelle fought sleep. She had long since left the ledge path and returned to sitting by the fading warmth of the stone near her sleeping friends. The little drake had climbed up in her lap, and curled itself under her blanket. Only its head and one claw stuck out of the gap and draped on her knee. Occasionally, between sips of brew, she scratched its head and ears.

“I guess you two are friends, now.” Parith said quietly, but still surprising her.

“Oh! I didn’t hear you get up. Is it your watch already?”

Parith poured himself a cup from the bowl. “Pffah! That was a lot better when it was warmer.”

“Marginally.” Thissraelle laughed. “Let’s have Eddiwarth take the middle watch tomorrow night so he can reheat the rock.”

Parith sat down. “Good idea.” He sipped. “Anything happen?”

“Yeah. I was attacked by humongous slobbering mountain goat bear devil monsters.”

“I hate it when that happens.” He groaned with ache as he sat down.

“But don’t worry. Drakie protected us.” It raised its head, hearing its name. “Didn’t you?” Thissraelle crooned, scratching him.

They sat quietly in the breezeless dark of the predawn. Parith slurped his brew. “You know, your watch is over. You can go back to sleep.”

She sat, silent, staring into the dark around them. From behind, Eddiwarth started snoring again. Parith turned to look for a moment, then returned his gaze forward. He breathed in to speak when Thissraelle interrupted.

“When I was a little girl, in the Guild Hall, I had school, of a sort. My dad taught me magic. My mom was very traditional and proper and taught me social interactions. My tutors taught me to read, and to add, and all about history and the world and things.”

Parith looked at her with his eyebrows raised. She shifted, raising her knees up to her chest. The drake tumbled off her lap onto the snow and hissed a complaint before it crept over to Parith.

“There was a time in our history when the world of Wynne was ruled by the Great Mage Kings of Emberfire. Our great sages and kings and generals made tales and songs of noble deeds and heroic exploration and conquest. I can still sing some of them. There was a great era of study and learning. Peace flourished throughout the world and civilization bloomed.” Her voice was as a proclamation, but with an edge of sadness.

Parith didn’t react just yet.

“Or so I was taught.” She shook her hair out of her eyes. “Then, a few days ago, I had the chance to meet with the wood elf sages and scholars in TreeHaven. They were wonderful, helpful, and very friendly, especially considering I’m a high elf. They told me some about Giatrice - Heathrax - and how to go looking for this shrine. I showed them his poems, and they were excited to see them.

“They also told me about the rule of the Kings of Emberfire from the perspective of the wood elves of Umbrawood. It was a very different story. They told tales of conquest and oppression. They sang songs of slavery, of bravery in resistance and of warriors fighting for freedom. I was always taught that wood elves hated us, but nobody had ever explained why. Nobody ever needed to.”

Thissraelle wanted to look at him, but she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact. She could feel him staring into her, though, and wondered what he was thinking. From behind, Eddiwarth grunted and snorted. That at least helped her to smile for a moment.

“Things have changed a lot for me this last year. I’ve been places I didn’t know existed, and I’ve seen people and things that I couldn’t have ever imagined. One thing I know for certain now is that there is a lot in this world that I don’t know.” She sniffed. “I don’t know what to do with this new understanding, either. Should I apologize? I never enslaved anyone. I never conquered anyone. But my people did. And I see now how that has shaped my view.”

She leaned back and wiped her eyes. Finally, she glanced over at Parith, and saw him nodding with a slight frown.

He looked down for a moment, then back up at her. “There are a lot of things going on that neither of us really like. Things inside us both. I guess we should each apologize, just for ourselves, for our own thoughts. We have no control beyond that, right?”

She nodded, and smiled. “So, are WE friends, now?”

“Yes. We are.” He smiled back. She stood up.

Parith said, in a reassuring tone, “Now get to sleep.”

<<<>>>

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198 - “Blessed Steps” - Thissraelle - A Tale of Heroes

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“Thissraelle...”

“Thissraelle,” the voice whispered again. Someone shook her gently. She felt the cold air of the night on her face and opened her eyes. Karendle hovered over her. “Sorry, sis. It’s your turn for watch.”

Thissraelle nodded and yawned. Her cheeks were warm and a bit painful. She reached up out of her blanket and touched them gingerly. Karendle leaned back. “Yeah. Sunburn. Funny, huh? In the dead of winter, even.”

Karendle unwrapped her blanket from her shoulders and spread it on the snowpad in the space next to Thissraelle. “There’s some brew in the bowl on the stone. It’s not as hot as it was earlier, but it’s still good.” She sat down on the blanket then lay flat and pulled the other half over her. She shifted a few times underneath before lying still.

Thissraelle got up and wrapped herself in her own blanket. She stood by the warm rock for a few minutes, trying to encourage her mind to become alert. The night seemed very bright, even as late as it was. She shook out her cup and poured some brew from the bowl. She sipped and made a face. Ukhgh! Still good? Ow! Making faces hurt. OK, I’m awake, now.

She stood for a moment, sipping from the cup. The moonlight seemed to draw her away and she stepped carefully over the trampled snow to the edge of the rock overhang. She followed a little of yesterday’s path and came out onto a ledge, catching her breath. The full moon hung bright in the sky, illuminating the snow all around with a ghostly silver glow. Far below, she saw the deep expanse of the Umbrawood Forest, a lumpy sea of brown and white. They were not even a third of the way up the side of the mountain, but she could see mile after beautiful mile away. Above her was a clear sky of stars. Many were overpowered by the brightness of the moon, but there were still innumerable others that shone brilliantly through. The expansive void above her reminded her of The Vast. She smiled and sighed.

...Vast are the works of His creation. The words Korr had cited rolled through her mind.

In moments like this, I feel lucky. 

She felt something twist tightly around her leg and boot. Surprised, she jumped and flipped her blanket open. Parith’s little drake had wrapped its tail and body around her right leg. It squawked twice and looked up at her with big, expectant eyes. Then, it rubbed its head softly against her knee and trilled.

Thissraelle blew out a misty breath of relief and squatted down to skritch its head. It closed its eyes and pressed back against her hand with a contented thrumm. It looked back up at her and turned its head one way, then the other.

“Sorry, I don’t have anything...” she paused, remembering, “Oh, wait.” She stood so she could reach the pocket in her leggings. She fumbled for a moment and pulled out a piece of jerky. “Here you go!” She stooped again and held it out for him, and he gobbled it immediately.

So, why do I feel lucky? This has been a very hard time for me. I’ve got people chasing me, wanting to kill me, capture me, or use me, and I’m not even sure where I’m going. She stood.

But what did I expect? I left a nice, comfortable home because, well, I wanted to see things. I wanted to get out. And here I am. Out. If I had stayed, I would have never seen this beauty that’s before me now. I would never have found friends like these, like DeFrantis or Granthurg. I would have never found Eddiwarth.

I’m a much better wizard, now. I can do more things, and I know more of when and how to use it, not just what tricks I can do. It’s a big world, with big players, and I’m just starting to see a place in it.

She took another drink of the horrid brew.

I’m not lucky. I’m blessed.

The Creator has blessed my steps.

<<<>>>

This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
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197 - “A Stroll Up the Mountain” - Thissraelle - A Tale of Heroes

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Thissraelle had heard stories from her parents about snows this deep in the mountains, but by her memories of Twynne Rivers, anything higher than her ankles was a harsh winter. Now, here, on the path up the mountainside, she found herself slogging through snow banks that could have literally swallowed her up were it not for the webbed snowshoes the wood elves had given them. Though they kept her from sinking deep, they were big and awkward and they made her walk with a wide waddle. She had to heft her knees up high with each step just to keep moving forward.

Korr was marching in front of her, a huge pack on his back. He had been willing to carry the larger of the team’s packs. The smaller one, which was still quite large, was swapped back and forth between Parith and Eddiwarth. Karendle and Thissraelle had volunteered for a turn but Eddiwarth wouldn’t allow it. Thissraelle also noticed that Parith’s cloak had some rather large holes in it. She wondered how they had come to be, then laughed as she noticed the drake gnawing on the folds of his hood as it sat comfortably on Parith’s shoulder.

The sun was bright and almost blinding as it reflected off the white snow on the rocks around them. Every so often, Thissraelle would turn her eyes from the path ahead and look out over the forest stretched out below the slopes. Each time, the view was deeper and further below.

They had left TreeHaven three days before. Illariel had been eager to guide them to the foothills of the mountain. Three elven scouts of the garrison had been assigned to accompany them, presumably for their protection, though Parith had grumbled that they were there to make sure the party actually left the forest.

It had been hard for Thissraelle to part with Illariel. They had become good friends during their time in TreeHaven, and they had laughed together as they had dashed through the tree branches on the way through Umbrawood to the mountain path. It had been difficult for Thissraelle at first to gain her balance on the snowy branches, but she adapted, and soon was moving quickly along. Korr and Karendle had struggled to keep up. Finally, the forest ended in the lower hills of the mountainside, and Illariel had said goodbye with a hug.

The day’s struggle trudging along the winding path up the mountainside wore long. They came to a spot with a flat space under an overhang of rock. As the sun dimmed low over the horizon far off to the right, they set up their encampment. The muscles in Thissraelle’s legs and hips hurt in ways she had never thought possible. Karendle used her oculus to call up a large stone a few feet around, and Eddiwarth heated it with magical fires until it radiated warmth all around them. They each rolled out their thick and soft elven blankets, folded over once. They sat on the blankets facing the warming stone as the darkness fell, eating crusts and dried meats from their pack. A small bowl on the stone was melting snow and heating the water for them to make a dark brew.

“This is exhausting.” Parith took a bite of bread, as he looked at Thissraelle. “Let me ask: If you can open portals and flip through The Vast, from one place to the next, why are we walking? Why not just flash through a portal? We’d be at the shrine, bing!”

The look on other’s faces showed that they’d been wondering about this as well.

Thissraelle sighed, “The Vast is pretty unpredictable, and it’s not always stable. If you don’t have a clear vision of where you’re going or who you’re trying to catch up with, there’s no telling where you could end up. Some places, like the Seeker’s temple, have been made stable by the mages that live there. The portals there and back are well-established. That’s why we had to come back out of the Vast into Twynne Rivers, right by the old cathedral.”

She thought for a minute. “In the forest, when I blinked away from the fight, I was in a panic and completely unfocused. I was pretty lucky, really. I ended up hung up in a tree a few miles away. I might have easily ended up thousands of miles away, or even up in the air, falling out of a cloud. I could have gotten swept away in a Vast storm, or lost forever. Unless you know where you’re going, it’s very risky.

“Dimensional wizards with a lot of experience and deep pools of will can drive their way through and find the right moments of exit back into The Great Reality.” She dropped her gaze. “But I’m not that good at it yet.”

They ate more, trying to shiver off the awkwardness of the moment. Eddiwarth looked at the other’s tired and worn faces, coughed, and mused, “I’ve been thinking a bit about this Heathrax guy. I’m trying to figure out how old he would be. From the sounds of those legends, they were hundreds of years old.”

Parith nodded. “He’s probably dead.”

“Could be,” thought Eddiwarth. “Maybe we’ll find his descendents.”

“My master,” Korr said, “when he gave me the task, told me to find his friend and give him greetings. While it could be that this shrine is his memorial, and my instructions are to leave greetings there, the more sure implication is that Heathrax himself is still alive.”

Korr reached for the bowl, then wondered, “He could be elven. How long do elves live?”

Thissraelle settled back on her arms and uncrossed her legs, stretching them out before her. The motion both hurt and felt good. She leaned over to rest her head on Eddiwarth’s shoulder. “There are some family lines of high elven royalty that have lived that long, I’m told. Most of us don’t. What about the wood elves?”

“I don’t know.” Parith shrugged. “A hundred, maybe a hundred-fifty. More than most humans, but not by that much.”

Karendle added, “Maybe someone could have used magic to live longer. Or been turned into a tree or something.”

“There’s a point we’re all kind of missing, here.” Karendle blurted out, “Are we killing ourselves to climb a mountain named ‘Dragonspine’ to look for a guy named ‘Dragonfriend’ and not expecting to find dragons? I mean, DRAGONS, people. We fought drakes at the cathedral and that was bad enough. I’m not so sure I want to meet a full dragon. Maybe Heathrax is a dragon’s friend, but that doesn’t mean WE are.”

Their discussion was interrupted by a high-pitched hacking and coughing sound. Thissraelle looked to her left, away from the warming stone, and saw the small drake sitting in the snow. Its tummy shook and its snaking neck heaved in waves toward its wide open mouth. It lurched once, then again, and with a loud hack, hurked a thick blob out of its mouth that burst into flame the moment it hit the open air. It splattered out of its mouth onto the snow where it sizzled and melted until it steamed itself out. The drake hissed and spit a few more small smoking droplets, then shook its head from side to side and licked its nose with its smoldering tongue.

The party all looked on with surprise. The drake finally stopped coughing and looked back at them all, cocking his head to one side with a questioning gaze and trilling.

“Well.” Parith said, “He’s never done that before.”

“Let’s...ah...” Thissraelle added, eyes wide, “let’s keep him away from the blankets.”

<<<>>>

This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
Thank you: Chet Cox, Genevieve Springer!

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196 - “Finding Dragons” - Tonklyn - A Tale of Heroes

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Part 15

Emberfire

In the previous part: 

After the attack by the wood elven patrol, the party of heroes is scattered. Thissraelle, in a panic, uses dimensional magic to teleport randomly away. Eddiwarth manages to get a magical strike off before being overcome by an attacker smothering him with mage’s bane, and being carried away.

This leaves Parith angry and frustrated, Korr badly wounded, with Karendle dangling up in a tree. After freeing each other, they argue and prepare to go tracking after Eddiwarth.

Meanwhile, Thissraelle has found help in a young wood elven nature mage named Illariel. The girl’s cheerful, helpful personality quickly wins Thissraelle’s trust and they soon rejoin the party. They discover that the patrol of wood elves that had attacked them has been themselves attacked by an insurgent squad of high elven soldiers. This is further complicated by the fact that this group of soldiers is led by Illitharin, of the Dragon’s Flame, who was involved in the planning of the cathedral attacks, and has been pursuing Thissraelle (through Karendle) for months. Thissraelle and Parith must both confront their own prejudices and come together to rescue Eddiwarth.

The party pursues the high elves. Karendle approaches them, pretending to have captured Thissraelle. In the ensuing fight, Illitharin is killed, Eddiwarth and Karendle are both wounded, the remaining wood elves freed, and the invading high elves scattered. 

The party then recovers and weathers out a snowstorm in the town of TreeHaven while the wood elven leaders decide if they believe that Thissraelle and Eddiwarth are not spies. During this time, Thissraelle and Eddiwarth come to accept their feelings for each other.

Finally, the wood elves, encouraged by Illariel, welcome them and help equip them and guide them to a mountain trail to find a shrine to the “Dragonfriend”.

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196 - “Finding Dragons” - Tonklyn - A Tale of Heroes 

Tonklyn stepped light and quick across the stone floor of the wide, dark hallway. Only a few dim oculi mounted in the walls indicated the angles, doorways, and intersections of this part of the mountain palace. Kirraxal prefers the shadow.  

Tonklyn turned a corner. There was only one more concourse of stairs before he stepped up into a large antechamber. There were other entrances to the this space, but none as prominent. Directly opposite the stairs stood a set of broad and thick wooden double doors. These had been ornately carved and intricately inlaid with silver flourishes in waving geometric patterns flowing upwards to the high arching tips of the entranceway.

Men-at-arms standing at each side of the door stepped forward as they saw Tonklyn exit the stairwell then pushed the great doors open for him. They bowed, but Tonklyn didn’t acknowledge their presence as he strode through the doors into the great hall and the throne room beyond.

The throne room was very tall and wide, and the smoothly carved stone walls echoed the creak of the door and Tonklyn’s shuffling, padded feet. This room, and the whole complex, had been hollowed out centuries before from the solid rock of the interior of the mountain using rock masons and stone-shaping nature mages, all probably slaves. Its high ceiling was held up by thick pillars and buttresses with pointed arches. The light of magical gems floated dimly down through the thick air above. It all reminded Tonklyn of the very cathedrals they had so recently burned down. Except there are no delicate stained glass windows or rows of fancy pews. These carved dragons for pillars are probably not so religious, either.

Since the discovery of the crown and the wealth of the treasure hoard, they had opened up and cleaned out many other areas of the traditional palace of the Dragon Kings. Kirraxal preferred the regal manner of this room for all of his official business. He lay, now, with his legs and tail curled up, on a wide stone gilt dais that was the throne - his throne. His long black neck held his head fully up and alert, even if his body looked casually relaxed.

Tonklyn crossed the long and empty space to his liege master as quickly as he could without breaking into the indignity of a run. As he approached, he saw the ever vigilant figure of the dragon’s guardian, clad in black mail and a black tunic, to Kirraxal’s left. He was one of the dragonbonded. Once a living servant, he had become a dead, but living and unspeaking, unsleeping bodyguard to Kirraxal. The dragon's shadow power bound them together. Tonklyn shuddered. I will never get used to him. 

The Dragon King spoke, “You take your time, don’t you?”

Tonklyn bowed before the dais, then stood again and smiled before taking his place at the right of Kirraxal.

“Be that as it may,” the dragon continued, “your research has proven useful, it seems. If you’ll remember, you suspected there to be more dragons of full-blood, not just drakes, living in the caves and volcanoes of the Emberfire Mountain Front. The dragonbonded that was sent there has found a few.”

Tonklyn smiled and nodded an abbreviated bow. “That is good news. That could help us if we ever hope to overcome those that are currently serving the elves in Emberfire City.”

Kirraxal spat a huge flaming wad in disgust. It splattered great drops of smoking fire onto the floor before the dais. “Dragons serving the two-legs! Really! How far we’ve fallen.”

Tonklyn raised an eyebrow. “True.”

“But no more. I will rally them all. The blood of kings is in them! They’ll turn to me.”

“They will, your majesty!”

“Soon, I’ll send you to negotiate with them, to recruit them. For now, we’ll find out what we can about this dragonfriend man. We’ll find him and end him. The dragonbonded make good assassins, but lousy envoys.”

Hmmm. That’s good to know. “Yes, my liege.”

<<<>>>

This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
Thank you: Chet Cox, Genevieve Springer!

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195 - “Together” - Thissraelle - A Tale of Heroes

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“Well,” Karendle said, turning away from the railing, “this is all nice and happy and everything, but I’m cold and hungry. We held off on lunch waiting for you. I’m going back inside.” She smiled and slapped Thissraelle on the shoulder, then stepped through the circle to the house behind them. Others voiced their own agreements and moved that way as well. Thissraelle quickly reached out and grabbed Eddiwarth’s hand, holding him back. She drew him to the railing, looking out over the town in the trees.

“I’m cold.” she said, and squirmed her way inside his cloak. She felt his warmth against her back and leaned her head up against his ear. She pulled his cloak as tight as she could in front of her, and his arms reached across her waist. “I’d like to come back here someday, when all this is over.”

In a moment, her mind raced through the memories of the last year. Last winter, I was still stuck in my tower of the Wizard’s Guild, planning my escape. So much has happened since then. I’ve seen poverty and slavery, I met great friends, like Granthurg and DeFrantis, and fought alongside them. I’ve learned so much from Karendle, and now Parith. Things I had lived with for so long are just not true. I’ve had to really grow up. Now, here I stand with Eddiwarth. It feels so nice.

“Yeah, it does feel nice.”

She jumped out of her thoughts. “Are you in my mind?”

“What?” He shifted his head and looked at her. “No! You said that.”

“Out loud?”

“Yes. You said, ‘It feels so nice’, and I said, ‘Yeah.’”

“Hmm.” She looked out over the balcony again and snuggled back up against him. “So I did. And it does.” She could feel his breathing up against her back and see the mist in the air mingling with her own breath.  She smiled, feeling the warmth in her heart and the cold on her face. The snow had all but stopped. Sounds from all around wafted past her in the breeze. Birds in the trees chased what seeds they could find. The elves on the walkways carried on, busy with their tasks, unnoticing. This feels so nice.

After a moment’s hesitation, he said, quietly, “So, ah, where do we go from here?”

She blinked. “We’re going to climb up to Heathrax’s shrine in the Emberfire Mountains. Dragonspine. Weren’t you just cheering for that?”

“Ah. Yeah. I was. But that’s not what I meant.”

Thissraelle smiled again, then answered with badly faked surprise. “Oh, you mean us!”

“Yes, that’s what I mean. It’s been wonderful being close to you these last few days. It’s been nice to have lots of time together while we waited for them to make up their minds about what to do with us all. Still, it’s left me to wonder what we’re doing.”

She turned around in his embrace to face him, and reached her arms up around his shoulders. How can this silly boy who used to irritate me so much be the man that makes me feel so... so light? She looked into his eyes. Well, we’ve both done a lot of growing up, I guess.

“I don’t know. I really don’t. I don’t know where I’m going, and I’m not really sure why I’m going there. I don’t know what will happen up on the mountain. But I love being with you, and I love how you make me feel.” She leaned into him and kissed him. Surprised, he held her tight and kissed back. She settled her cheek next to his and pulled him in tighter. “So let’s just see what happens up there. Together.”

“Together.” He echoed, nodding.

<<<>>>

The End of Part 14

<<<>>>

This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
Thank you: Chet Cox, Genevieve Springer!

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Start the whole story from the beginning. Start from where this current story arc begins. Start from where the current story part begins