Bertan`s quest by Michelle Tarynne (best books to read for beginners txt) 📖

alert for both: the inner and outer warnings. "Something is wrong tonight."

Si'Waters smiled at the change that hanged over their heads. Bertan noticed how the mind-numbing boredom of the inner Axe territories tortured her fiery almost-friend. Secrets and excitement were present here as in any other place, but the all-consuming, and ever present notion of a clouding apathy almost made Si'Waters slip into the madness. She most certainly would have, wasn't it for the presence of her already lost to the darkness twin sister that had already challenged every sane mind.

"Aye sister, I feel it too," Gi'Waters muttered, stopped herself midway, and gave Bertan well-practiced theatrical hug, "I love you sister!" she said loudly and overly cheerful.

"Yes! And the men there are said to shed coin quickly!" Bertan played along the lines of a maid excited for the profitable night it seemed. The night was full of watchful eyes and ears filled with evil intents. Hopefully none was aware of their mission there at that moment, and that was their only real concern. There were certain ways to deal with everything and everyone else.

It was almost too easy to get through the gates into the Inner Block. The guard scanned the coins absently, more intent on the revealing robes the sisters had chosen to wear. It's always safer to have your cleavages ogled than your face if you are on your undercover-duty-shift. The Inner Cantine was three flights of stairs above the gates. The closer they got there, the denser the air seemed, almost unbreathable.

"Whoever and whatever is the target today, it's right there in the Cantine," Bertan whispered quite bemused, "The Old Matron isn't as stupid as we thought. We are the acceptable victims if anything goes wrong tonight."

"This is going to be so much fun sisters." Si'Water could hardly contain her excitement, "I really have to tell you that Berts, had we known how boring the Axeland is, how the dream catching would bring us only wisps of peace. We would have given much more thought to this whole venture before we accepted this job."

"Oh, come on, Si, shut up!" Gi'Waters muttered, "As the youngest pair of twins we had to leave the south anyway, having been paid for that as well is a big bonus obviously. We are really grateful for the chance you offered us Berts," she offered explanations, "I'm sorry for her."

"No worries," Bertan chuckled, "We all have crazy family members."

"I'm not crazy!" Si'Waters hissed

"Not that crazy," Gi'Waters muttered quietly.

"Don't be so certain of that," Bertan said as they neared the intricate Cantine's doors, "Every family has loads of skeletons on their shelves… And I really love those doors," she finished in her high-pitched squeaky maid voice.

 

The moment they entered the Cantine filled with loud music and chatter all of Si'Waters' attention focused intently on a big figure cradling a Northerner Haxe bird. She tied her maid's bonnet low on her forehead to cover her eyes and started to play the game of a common Cantine maid. She communicated with Bertan though her body language that she felt this hunched man was the focus of the troubles that were to arrive soon.

It was Hunn, the Wicked One. He was of the legends that spread like smoke, nothing tangible and yet there. Many stories about him that passed throughout the Axe territories and beyond among the common folk attributed him with a violence and temper hotter than the rivers of fire.

Bertan spotted a shy and scrawny boy when he first entered the Cantine, looking a bit frightened and so out of place only a pure youngling can appear. There was something about that boy that made her feel uneasy. She watched him cautiously approach the Wicked One. Her mind turned off the incoming sounds completely at that point. Without sounds, her senses became sharper and quicker. She was able to notice the subtle details of their conversation and it was suddenly clear to her that the night's unseen focus flow also closely watched that conversation.

Bertan left the Cantine when the ones she watched looked like they were going to leave. Hidden in plain sight outside the Cantine, she pretended to maneuver new kegs filled with the Idle Juice. She saw that they went in the direction of the Eastern Gates and she followed them unnoticed. Bertan caught a sight of Si'Waters following them too, unseen in the ever-darkness devouring this land at all times, hiding among the rooftops up in the air.

"Do you think they will cross the Gates?" Gi'Waters asked unexpectedly. Bertan almost jumped out of her skin, as she did not notice Gi until the very moment the fiery twin spoke to her.

"No. They won't get the chance to reach the second staircase." Bertan tried look unaffected and sound quite composed.

"Do we care? We are only on a scouting mission anyway." Gi'Waters sneered.

"Well, your twin obviously cares up there, so maybe we could help her and let the Fates decide..." At that moment Betan stumbled and fell. An unknown vibration started to swell deep in her chest with the urgent need to go back home. Home… home… what home?

"Gods, what's wrong with you Bert's? At that pace, we will never get to them in time." Gi'Waters was furious at the stumble, by any means unprofessional. While Bertan's thoughts raced as the vibration softened. The Call Home… What Home? Sudden apprehension startled her with the unexpected but ultimate truth. It was an ancient Anaerthers Home Call, forsaken eons ago. She had no idea it was still in use. Why would she be able to receive it while being a blood born Sword suddenly became the question of the utmost importance.

Those fleeting but precious moments of stumble were the ones they had lost in time. Bertan and Gi'Waters approached the two figures carefully. The Wicked One was lifelessly lying on the ground already, and the boy tried to keep himself together. Almost tangible fear waves that he emitted foretold the nearing panic-attack. The other twin was still in the shadows, watching for the intruders.

"I'll take the boy out of here. You both keep an eye on the Wicked One and blend into this Castle as if it is your skin," Bertan whispered quickly while they clung to the opened gates, "The times of Madness are coming here soon. You can feel it as well as I do."

"Yes, we do. The evil can be almost smelled in this putrid air," Gi'Waters answered surprising Bertan with that observation.

"Remember your Fates and keep yourself safe. Find all the secrets here to find."

"We do remember that… Always." Gi'Waters scoffed. "Are you really leaving us now?"

"I think so. I doubt there is much else to learn about this place." Bertan frowned at the overwhelming feeling of the urgency unknown to her before. She nodded at her partner and stumbled yet again as she continued to walk towards the boy.

 

Si'Waters stood high and tall as if glued to the window's ledge. She watched Hunn just as he was hit with two silver darts that reached him from a second-floor window on the opposite side. She had seen those darts fly and hatch into his body and admired how he let nobody take notice of how it had to affect him.

She looked around, sharp in her vision, noting no one took an interest in the occurrences below. Nothing hid in the darkness. No one seemed to be watching anymore. Whatever those darts contained had been made to make the attacker sure of the Wicked One's quick and permanent incapacitation.

Si’Waters watched as partners hid in the shaded entry to discuss something and separate after few moments. She had to admit that inaction was the only right thing to do at the moment. Her twin motioned towards her to stay and observe and turned to go back to the Cantine they worked this duty-shift. Si'Waters relaxed into the wall behind her back to focus on the breathing of the male she always wanted to follow into her Fates ever since she heard the first story about him.

 

 

3

 

The Red Axe King's Castle was one of a kind peculiar structure, for it really wasn't a noble palace at all. The Inner Block was the only entrance into the Great Mines. The ultimate prize claimed by the Axes two eons before.

For the Sword Slave Masters, its previous owners, it was just a mine block on the outskirts of their kingdom. Their own cities were vast, beautiful, and highly populated with cruel and noble people, who would never demean themselves with the work of digging for anything. Not even for the treasures hidden deep beneath the surface. Their slaves had the honor of working instead.

The mines used to be on the outskirts of the known world back then. Forever bathed in darkness, the sky above turning in circles. It was the Axes duty to mine. They used to be the mad slaves of the underworld. Mad at the lack of light. Mad of their slavery. Mad of their strength.

The Fate-sent Storm of Skyfire had heavily licked the ground two thousand Great Cycles before. A great fire engulfed the Great Mine, scorched Inner Block. Even though it was closely guarded on the surface, it could not escape the Fates.

The biggest and fiercest of the Sword warriors and the latest defense machines were all gone in one eye-blink. The vastly developed transportation of the three-tracks rail system withstood the heat, though it melted deeply into the surface crust.

Only the Wall suffered the least, it encircled and imprisoned the vast area containing all of the twenty-seven Sword mines, even though only the Great Mine really mattered. The most important barrier guarding the valuable territories. The tallest structure ever created, made of a single and slightly curved piece of a mirroring glass. There was no way to cross it through the surface after the heat fused the only Gates with the rest of its structure.

No one on the surface within the Outer Wall and miles beyond had survived the Fate-sent fiery storm. Even though the Inner Block itself was made with iron ore and Tarn stones that even the inner mantle core couldn't melt, no living creature could withstand the heat and power of the sky-born fire.

The former Sword Slave Masters had been turned into the dust in a matter of few moments by order of the lucky Fates. The axe prey became The Axe, prey no more, the Swords slaves no more.

Throughout the ages, the Axe Kingdom developed and progressed into a highly populated, rich area. They managed to grow outside of the Wall, with many foreigners eager to settle and to live happily in a land free of taxes and any real nobility.

Vlad knew the real price of that prosperity, hidden in the depths of the Inner Block Vault's that used to be full of the stolen Sword property. If no one kept digging at the Core, then stones and metals accessible on the higher tiers would never be enough to support the costs of war Vlad saw boiling in the Red Axe King's eyes.

For the last two eons, Axes themselves had not been able to delve and mine for the priciest of metals and stones as deep as Seekinglanders had done before. Gold and diamonds