The Elder's Curse Andrew Walbrown (red scrolls of magic .TXT) 📖

flakes of ash stuck to the dried blood. When he saw no signs of infection, Ulam released the breath he was holding, thankful for that particular stroke of luck. Before he could ask Amantius any questions there was a commotion outside, reminding Ulam he left two Kalikkis in the camp with weapons at their feet. He gently laid Amantius’ head on a pillow and grabbed his axe, jumping into the firelight once more.

One of the Kalikkis was only a dozen steps away, wooden spear in hand, within striking distance of Ulam’s chest. It was the one who kidnapped Amantius, the one who was proud of capturing the “Emberi scum” as he had claimed. Towards the light’s edge was the other Kalikki, still rooted to the spot where Ulam had left him, only now he had a dagger at his throat. At the other end of the blade was an ash-covered Elf.

“Lower your spear,” Nilawen said. The night might have been warm, and the blazing campfire even hotter, but her voice was as cold as ice. “If you don’t, I will paint the ground red tonight with his blood.”

Ulam could see the fear in the spear-wielding Kalikki’s eyes, could sense his resolve wavering. He knew the Kalikki was aware he was cornered, but he also knew this situation was not entirely resolved, as people without options are always at their most dangerous. The two Kalikkis shared a few words in their own language before the spear-wielder dropped the weapon on the ground and retreated. Ulam then grabbed the spear and with a mighty heft tossed it into the air, the discarded weapon quickly swallowed by the surrounding darkness. He then went back inside the tent and grabbed Amantius, and pulled his foster-brother into the opening.

“Where am I?” Amantius said, still dazed from the blow to his head. Though he was more awake now, his eyes still avoided the light emitted from the fire. “Ulam, is that you?”

Ulam grunted. “Of course it is, who else would save your worthless hide?”

Amantius followed his laughter with a groan. “By the Gods, my head hurts. And that light! I feel like I’m sitting on the damn sun it is so bright.” He rubbed his eyes vigorously. “Where’s Wen?”

“I’m here,” Nilawen responded from across the way, her voice gentle once more. The bipolar change in tone sent a shiver down Ulam’s spine. Remember to always be friends with her.

“Where? All I see are…” Amantius stopped, his eyes growing huge. “GIANT RATS?”

“Kalikkis, Little Brother.” A massive grin split Ulam’s face. “They do not like being called rats.”

Chapter 10

Amantius

Big round ears. Long naked tail. By the Gods, I’m listening to Ulam talk to a life-sized mouse.

Two days had passed since Amantius was rescued by Ulam and Nilawen, and for those two days, he could not accept what he was seeing. He felt like he was living in an alternate world, for this was the first time in his life that he was not surrounded by Humans. They traveled with the two Kalikki brothers, their names Bati and Buri, who offered to guide them to their home in the nearby city of Yawan. To quicken their journey they used their camels to transport everyone’s possessions, which, despite how bad they smelled, proved to be a godsend to the group.

At first, there had been an uneasy air between the two factions, as Amantius and Nilawen were hesitant to turn their backs on their hosts. The same went for Buri, the younger of the two Kalikkis, who had knocked Amantius unconscious in the oasis. However, Bati was the glue that held everyone together, as he was quick to forgive and forget, despite how close he came to choking on Nilawen’s dagger. From the onset he struck a friendship with Ulam, providing him mountains of information on the Kalikki race. Their lore, their language, their customs, anything Ulam could possibly want to know. Considering his foster-brother’s unquenchable thirst for anthropologic knowledge, Amantius was not surprised by this development. He actually expected it.

“So why did you kidnap me?” Amantius asked on the second night as they sat around a fire drinking camel’s milk. This stuff isn’t so bad. It’s sweet, kind of.

Buri lowered his eyes; Amantius could see the shame in them. “I thought I captured an Emberi slaver.”

“Why would slavers come out here though? Isn’t slavery illegal?”

Bati held up a hand, which looked a lot like Amantius’ but covered in fur. “I will explain. Though slavery is outlawed in the Emberi Empire, there are plenty of places in the world where slavery still exists. We Kalikkis are well renowned for our hardiness against extreme weather, so naturally, slavers come to the Alakuum to enslave our people for work in salt mines or quarries. It was a problem for decades until everyone left their desert towns and returned to Yawan, which is why you no longer see people in the Ashlands.”

“Has your king or queen taken any action to stop slavers?” Ulam asked.

“We do not have a king or queen,” Bati replied. “Kalikkis never have; we have a High Council which handles anything of that nature. To combat slavery the Council sets bounties on any slaver captured and brought to justice, that is if they were proven guilty in a court. There was some success early, but after the boldest slavers were caught the number of abductions dropped dramatically. Unfortunately, though, there is an entire generation of Kalikkis who lost their parents in the last large-scale raid, including Buri and myself.”

Buri suddenly stood and walked away, quickly blending into the darkness. It was clear to Amantius that, even though they had lost their parents many years ago, the wound was still fresh in the younger of the two brothers. To an extent, he related with Bati and Buri since he knew the pain of being separated from his family, but he could not imagine how much worse his torment would be if his mother was also a slave in an