#thefirstkingdom

Chapter One

On the Edge of Oblivion

Wingless River was not so pristine in Faunli.  The foaming waters were marred by shades of red that spread unfettered from the recently deceased.  Identical bodies, all faced down, all covered in brown padding, floated seamlessly downstream.  Or they did, until moments before Aros arrived.

The abrupt change in current had started a chaotic scene that was far from what Aros had expected when he crossed the border of Kytheras.  Up ahead of him, Rikki and Doren were stuck in a net that stretched the entire width of the river, but they were the only ones struggling to escape the entanglement.  The rest of the people, caught on the other side of the net, were still.

Incomprehensible words were shouted from the river's banks, as men jumped into the river further upstream to grab the bodies that were getting away from them.

Aros felt dizzy as he tried to grasp the pandemonium they had stumbled into.  The waters were pushing at his back, and he felt like he might slip beneath them and drown without anyone around him noticing.

It took considerable effort to make his way over to his friends.  With each step, he feared that he might be taken by the current to the Great Bastion, and some small part of him hoped for it.  When he finally made it to the net, he withdrew his clawblade and prepared to cut Rikki and Doren free.

Aros froze as screams in apparent gibberish reached his ears.  He eyed the banks of the river, where the dozens of Fauns finally noticed the new arrivals.

There was so much beauty to their new environment.  The trees elongated branches stretched toward the river, their wood bedecked with vibrant green leaves.  The grass was not so much muddy as it was colorful, as flowers sprang up amidst the weeds.  But Aros only took note of the men, and their suspicious yellow eyes.  They looked at him from behind cage-like masks, not breaking their gaze as they gained hold of their weapons and took aim.  He could see that they wanted to hurt him; to sink their arrows and their daggers into his body, and he wanted the same for them.

His fingers tightened on the hilt of his atypical blade. He was ready for them to come at him. He would take them all down without even wielding his second clawblade.  Did they expect those pads they wore to protect them from him?  He had dealt with worse than them already.

Aros waited for them to end the standoff, but it was Rikki that broke the silence.  "Enough of this," she mumbled, and the net she and Doren were stuck in disappeared.  She raised her staff high above the waters.  "Lower your weapons!"

The demand went unheeded, and suddenly a host of arrows were loosed into the air.

Aros whipped his second blade out, but only gaped as the projectiles turned to stone and fell from the air and into the river. His hands shook as he readied to retaliate for the attack.

"Maybe they don't understand," Doren put forth.

"We can make them," Aros growled.

Doren shot him a worrying glance before Rikki spoke up.  "Is there anyone here who can speak our language?"

A man on the side of the banks raised his arm and then hopped into the river.  He trudged over to the three of them.  "I can.  Where did you come from?" he said with a unique accent.

"Kytheras."

His golden eyes studied them from behind iron bars that encircled his head. "Kytheras," he repeated as the yellow padding he wore got darker as it took on water.  "How?"  His eyes were no longer concentrated on the trio, but on what lie behind them.

Aros cautiously turned to face what was at his rear.  What he saw did not make any sense.  There appeared to be a wall, painted in an unfeeling black that embodied despair. This wall stretched along Faunli's border, cutting off the river along with all the greenery that surrounded it.

But it wasn't a wall. This barrier wasn't solid, nor was it any type of structure.  It was just emptiness.  Where Kytheras had once been, there was now simply nothing.

In the initial confusion, Aros had missed the most unusual and spectacular sight.  He put one of his clawblades away and approached where they had entered Faunli.  He remembered the water seemingly transforming into sand on the other side. Here, it was the emptiness that became water.

He stuck his arm out, into the black.  The tips of his fingers, then his entire hand, disappeared with the river.  Aros jiggled his fingers, and he could feel them moving, but he could not see them.

It was Amelia's magic, Aros assured himself.  The same magic that allowed them to enter Faunli.  It simply looked different from this end.

The man that had joined them in the river hustled to Aros' side and grabbed his wrist.  Before Aros could shout in protest, the Faun yanked his wrist back and Aros' limb once again appeared whole.  "Don't do that," the Faun insisted.

Aros hopped back and pointed his remaining blade at the man.  "What was that about?" Aros asked.

The Faun eyed Aros' uninjured hand before returning his focus to the emptiness.  "You are lucky," he said before making his way out of the river.  The men lifted him out of the waters, and after mumbling something at them, they all jumped in.

Aros backed up to Doren and Rikki, and the three of them rapidly found themselves enclosed by the encroaching soldiers.

"You do not want to fight us," Rikki warned them.

Aros took his other clawblade back out.  "They don't know what they're getting themselves into."

Doren left his shield on his back.  "We are on a mission from King Halstrom, descendant of Aergo and ruler of Kytheras."  He made eye contact with their leader on dry land.  "Stop this and let us talk."

"Kytheran or not, you are all coming with me," the Faun answered.  "Drop your weapons and there will not be any need for violence."

Instead, Doren finally took his shield in his hand.  "We will not be your prisoners."

"Le gno cha," the Faun said, and two soldiers dove at them.

Doren bonked both of them in the head, knocking them out and sending them drifting along with the current.

The rest of the soldiers were armed but were either hesitating or waiting for orders.

"Do you think you can take all of my men?" the Faun said.

"Yes!" Aros enthusiastically replied.

"Let's see then."

"Wait!" Rikki cried.  "Where do you intend to take us?"

"To the Emperor," he answered.

Rikki lowered her staff. "We accept your escort, but we will not surrender our arms."

The Faun slid his finger against the cage on his head as he considered their terms.  "I will agree to your conditions.  Ge nosuwan."

Aros kept his blades out even as Doren returned his shield to his back.  He did not want to be ordered around by these Fauns.  In fact, he wanted desperately to fight them.  He knew he could take them, even without his friends' assistance.  There was no reason to bow to the wishes of these men.  He tightened his grip.

"Aros," Rikki sent a harsh whisper his way.

He grumbled before sticking his swords back on their magnets.  "We have no reason to trust these men."

"There's no reason to fight yet, either," she argued.

Aros sighed, and he and his companions were led out of Wingless River and onto Faun land.

"Welcome to the company of General Kortermos," the Faun said, "which is how I must insist you address me."  Kortermos' features were mostly concealed by the iron bars around his head, but his black hair and saggy face were hard to miss.  "You three are fortunate that I was here.  Not many in our army speak old Kytheran.  It's a language for the rich and the learned."

Aros bit his lip. This general was the fortunate one, for they would have probably taken his head if they had been engaged by these soldiers.

"So, who are you?" Kortermos asked.

"We will be glad to answer," Rikki replied, "once we are on our way to your emperor."

"Shortly," he said.  With a wiggle of his finger, his commands were registered and a few of his men dove back into the river.  Kortermos crossed his arms and watched as a new net was stretched across the channel. "You cause my men extra work, young mage."

Aros was glad that Rikki did not apologize, or respond at all.  They were hardly acquainted, and yet Aros did not like this General Kortermos one bit.  It would have been easy to tone down his arrogance by proving their might in battle. By surrendering, they'd only given him a needless victory.  This general should have been grateful he was still breathing.

Doren nudged Aros in the ribs.  "Wipe that scowl off your face," he whispered.

Once Kortermos' men had returned from their task, the company of soldiers formed two straight lines. The general hung near the rear with his prisoners when he ordered the men to begin their march.

"You know my name," Kortermos said to them.  "May I know yours?"

None of the trio were eager to speak to this general, bur Rikki volunteered to go first.  "Rikki Nasem.  I am the Grand Mage of Kytheras."

"Are you now?" Kortermos replied.  His focus turned to Doren.  "And you are a Tunsev, I presume?"

"Doren.  Prince of Kytheras."

"Had you not spoken before, I would have never guessed, given your dark hair.  It was my understanding that all Tunsev's had hair of silver."

Doren patted his locks. "I take after my mother."

"Indeed," Kortermos said.  "And you?"

Aros ground his teeth as the general eyed him.  Every sane thought evaporated from Aros' mind.  His eyes burned and glistened with fresh tears.  He had never felt such a desire to grab a blade and hurt somebody.  Where was this rage coming from?  He wanted to appease it and let the bloodlust take over. It would be easier than telling this man that he was a nobody, descended from fishermen and dairy farmers.

Rikki must have sensed there was a problem.  "He is a guardian of Kytheras," she said, breaking the extended silence.

Aros touched the fresh cut on his cheek, and his temper abated as he remembered his responsibilities.

"Prince. Mage.  Guardian."  Kortermos lingered on Aros far too long before continuing.  "What is your business in our land?  And how exactly did you arrive here?"

How much were they willing to tell this general?  Aros glanced from Rikki to Doren, but neither of them spoke.  They were all probably wondering the same thing.  "We are on a mission to see your emperor," Aros stated.  "That is all we can share."

"Is it?" Aros caught a glimpse of a familiar anger in Kortermos' eye.  He obviously took their withholding as a form of disrespect.  Maybe he would get the fight some part of him wanted after all.

Kortermos did not reach for a weapon or call for his men's aid.  "At least tell me how you got here.  I have never seen anyone emerge from Oblivion before."

"Oblivion?"

"That which surrounds Faunli.  Where the old kingdoms once sat, now there is only Oblivion.  And if you fall into Oblivion you do not come back out."

"Magic brought us here," Rikki answered.

"There is more to it," Kortermos grumbled, recognizing the sparsity of the information they were willing to share.  "You Kytherans.  There is a reason we never got along with you."  The general left their side and moved to the front of his company.

"I think we offended him," Doren observed.

"We owe him nothing," Aros said, and he touched the key bouncing around along his waist. "We are here for one thing."

"Are you up for this Aros?" Rikki asked him, grabbing onto his arm.  "You can go back.  I'll change the river's direction for you."

Aros was tempted to take Rikki up on her offer.  He already disliked this new land and the people that occupied it, and they were bringing out the worst in him.  Yet he recognized that it wasn't solely these Fauns that were causing his ill feelings. The pain inside continued to burn away at him.  His heart was in pieces, and the only place that had made him feel safe was behind an ominous black barrier.  He did not want to be here.

He wiped at a tear dripping from the corner of his eye and absolved to continue in spite of his internal torment.  Going back would not fix anything.  He had left his bed to help his friends, and he was not going to abandon them now.  "I'm with you," Aros said, as he broke away from them.

Falling in line behind a soldier as they moved out, he noticed the weapons the Faun was carrying. Blades of different sizes were tucked snugly on his waist, and on his back was not a shield, but some unusual-looking weapon.  It had been carved into a circular shape, and in its center was a tiny ramp propped up for reasons unknown.  Aros considered asking the man what it was but figured only gibberish would spout from his lips.

A hand grasped Aros' shoulder, and Rikki and Doren cuddled up on each of his sides.  "We're here for you," Doren told him.

Aros hid his glistening eyes from them, waiting for the feeling to subside before he asked them about the weapon on the soldier's back.

"You don't recognize it?" Rikki asked him.

Aros tried to get a closer look without knocking his face into the weapon.  The ramp was narrow, and seemingly designed for an arrow. "It's some sort of bow?"

"A Faun crossbow," Rikki informed him.  "A weapon of war."

"How does it work?" Aros asked.

"Were you not paying attention earlier?  They shot arrows at us with them."

"They did?"

Doren shook his head. "I hope you're paying attention the next time we're surrounded by armed men."

"You think there's gonna be a next time?" Aros asked.

Doren looked to Rikki, who let out a long sigh.  "Almost certainly."

As Aros pondered the circumstances of their next battle, the sounds of rushing water faded as their company turned away from the river.  The woods that had accompanied them on their journey gave way to open fields decorated with more green than Aros had ever seen.  He was awestruck by the abundant colors of nature, none of which he could have ever imagined.  The only missing shade was the one he had most associated with the wild:  that of sand.  But there was not one grain to interrupt the beauty that appeared to go on forever.  Aros bent over and ripped a handful of grass from the earth.  He held the blades up to his nose, taking in their scent before he bounced them around in his hands.

Doren and Rikki, too, seemed taken by their surroundings.  Rikki plucked a lone flower from the weeds and fiddled with it in her hands.  When she was done with it, she turned it over to Doren, who stared at it in his open palm.

"What do you think?" Rikki asked him.

"I'd like to bring it back home," Doren said, unable to take his eyes off it.  "Castle Tornis could use some color."

As they followed in line with the soldiers, a few chirps startled the trio.  A white bird with purple stripes fluttered about Rikki's head until it landed on her staff.  As she reached out to touch it, it flew away.

"This place is remarkable," Doren stated as he watched the bird take off.

Aros shook his head, though he wasn't sure his friends noticed.  He would not be deceived by Faunli's exquisite environment.  The armed men that surrounded them better represented the truth of this place.

Off in the distance, furry four-legged creatures grazed in the fields, their labyrinth of horns smacking into one another as they munched.  "What are those?" Aros asked, pointing at the animals.

Kortermos reappeared amongst the trio and provided an answer.  "Caribou.  Harmless things.  They don't have a temper like our antelope."

Aros didn't know what an antelope was, but he could immediately relate to it.  If he had to stay around this general much longer, his temper would surely get the better of him.

Kortermos noted the setting sun and told them they would take refuge shortly after nightfall. "Unfortunately we do not have any spare tents.  But it does not feel like rain.  You should be fine sleeping in the grass then? Unless you can conjure up some shelter?"  He reached for Rikki's staff.

She drew the staff near her chest.  "We'll be fine."

Kortermos closed his hand and frowned.  "Tell me, do you not have Oblivion where you are from?"

"No Oblivion," Doren answered.  "Only desert."

"Curious." Kortermos again headed for the front of the line.  Then he stopped, and without looking back, said "Don't try to sneak away in the night.  I will have men watching."

Aros growled as the general moved away.  "I really don't like him."

"We couldn't tell," Doren said mockingly.

The soldiers stopped shortly after sunset, and within minutes there was a sea of tents on the flatlands.  Men gathered around campfires and chatted in their undecipherable language.  They stuck fish and unknown meats in the fires and piled the wild fruits high.  Aros' stomach moaned as he watched them devour their meals.  A full day of walking had brought back his appetite.

"Can you make us shelter?  Or food?" he asked Rikki.

"A hut wouldn't be a problem," Rikki replied.  "Though I'd like to sleep in the open.  Food?  Well, you'd have to ask the general for that."

Aros crossed his arms and squatted next to his companions.  "I'd rather starve."

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