A Soldier's Life - 470 - Chapter 470: The Sanctum of the People’s Blade

Chapter 470: The Sanctum of the People’s Blade

Alhar rode alone at the back of the group. Sometimes I didn’t even notice he was there, and I was startled when I turned in the saddle to see him still with us. It was very disconcerting, and I suspected it was a spell form. Only Kyrenic rotated back to talk with the Bartiradian elf, but then again, the knight felt the need to talk to everyone. I think Kyrenic spent the most time with Evie the first day, as she eagerly told him of the adventures we had in Sanctuary.

When Kyrenic pulled up next as it was getting close to sunset, he still had the energy to converse. “Will Evie be fine then? The Death Sentinels have blocked her necromancy?” He sounded genuinely concerned.

“She has awareness and control. The Sentinels educated her and gave her what defenses they could. During the siege, the Lich Emperor marked her, but other than that she is perfectly fine,” I said, trying to be funny but immediately realizing that her being marked made me a failure as her guardian.

“Liches are nasty business. If you want me to join you on a quest to slay this lich emperor, just say the word,” Kyrenic said seriously.

“You are an unusual person, offering aid so freely, but I’m happy to call you my friend,” I replied. An annoying goody-two-shoes friend, but a friend nonetheless, I told myself.

“You have a lot of good friends, it seems,” he nodded toward Maveith who was also getting along famously with Kyrenic, and the knight promised to visit Stone Mountain Island when he had the time. “Blaze, Benito, and Lesna are safe and well?” Kyrenic asked empathetically.

“They sailed with the High Sentinel. The Salty Maiden is as safe a ship as they could be on,” I confirmed.

“Good, good. We're approaching a small town with an amazing baker. Her meat pies are incredible. The inn across the street should have room for us as well. If we stop here, we can push on to Skyliton tomorrow, but it will be a long day. Or we can move to the next village, get in late, and have an easier day tomorrow. Though the food isn't as good.” He spoke deferentially, leaving the decision to me.

My ring suppressed my appetite, but I looked at my companions balancing their wants. “A good pie sounds great, but we will leave before sunrise tomorrow.”

The bakery was a small stone building in the center of a modest town. It was late afternoon, and the children all ran out to see Maveith. I didn’t see any beggars or homeless people, who are normally easy to find in human settlements. The portly, middle-aged baker came out covered in sweat and flour, but I had to admit that the odors coming from the building were enticing.

Kyrenic dismounted when the woman shouted his name in excitement, and she embraced the knight in a long hug, which Kyrenic took willingly. After he told her of our needs, she agreed to prepare some fresh lamb and beef pies and deliver them across the street. Maveith ordered six extra, and I added ten to the order, but knew I would have to pay for the crockery since I planned to store them.

The inn was more modest than I expected for a knight and had an unwashed scent about it. Kyrenic still greeted the friendly innkeeper, and soon we had rooms. After dropping things off in the rooms, I went to the stables to check on the horses and found Alhar there. I ignored them and went to make sure the stable hands had properly rubbed down Ginger.

“Do you want to practice—without spell forms?” Alhar said abruptly.

I turned on the elf who looked to be repacking his saddle bags. “No,” I replied somewhat rudely. “Ask Kyrenic,” I added, finished with Ginger, and left. I didn’t trust the elf; if he practiced with Kyrenic, I would be able to observe him in the dreamscape to prepare.

It wasn’t long before the pies started to arrive. All of us except Alhar enjoyed them. Kyrenic did not practice; instead, he retired early, and I could hear him snoring when I passed his door. It was too strange a place for me to be comfortable in the dreamscape. I considered letting Baelira or Maveith use it, but decided not to.

Kyrenic seemed more cheerful in the dark as we prepared the mounts, if that was even possible. As we rode, whenever we passed through a town, he was recognized and cheered. Whoever he was riding next to at the time received a detailed tour of the town. His mind must have been full of useless facts. Maveith, Baelira, and Evie enjoyed it thoroughly.

We pressed hard to Skyliton and arrived before sunset. The city was not what I had expected. Thirty-foot stone walls but only a handful of guards visible walking the ramparts. The gatehouse also looked unstaffed, with just two guards inspecting carts and travelers.

When we were within a hundred yards, the bells rang and Kyrenic moaned. “I really need to disguise myself when coming home.” The line parted so we could cut to the front and were waved through by the smiling guards. The others looked amused at Kyrenic’s discomfort as our passage through the streets slowed down because men, women, and children came out to greet their prince. “I don’t come very often, and I think they try to make up for it,” he said, leaning into me. It took us two hours to reach the castle, and our horses were taken from us while we carried our saddlebags.

The castle had appeared humble on the outside but quite ostentatious on the inside. A well-dressed man emerged from a side room. “A feast is being prepared. Is the Queen or any of your siblings following behind you, Lord Kyrenic?”

“Darius, good to see you. Just me and my companions here. We will be departing at first light,” he replied, handing him saddlebags.

“I am going to find the library,” I announced, planning to forgo the dinner.

“We have hot water baths,” Kyrenic offered.

“Bath first, then the library," I said, reconsidering my priorities. I could probably get clean with my new shield, but it wasn’t the same. The baths consisted of seven polished black marble soaking tubs in one room, each drawing water from one steaming cistern overhead. Seeing the arrangement, I wondered if the royal family bathed together. An attendant helped me fill the tub and took my clothes for laundering. I didn’t spend much time cleaning and was dried and dressed in magically cleaned clothes in under an hour.

I was escorted to the library and was impressed. Glossy wooden shelves surrounded me and went up three stories. Two stone spiral stairs ascended to the balcony. The room had no windows but was lit by several glowstones spaced in a geometric pattern. I stepped into the room and was caught off guard by an old woman. “And you are?”

“I am a guest of Kyrenic, and I recently was the guest of the queen and princess in the Petros.” I bowed, “Eryk Marko, Death Sentinel Seeker.”

“You look a bit young to be a Seeker,” she said suspiciously. I noticed her elven ears. Her wrinkles were controlled under her frail white hair, but she had to be over a thousand years old.

“I am told that a lot. You haven’t told me your name?” I questioned.

A slight smile formed on her lips. “Maerlyn Relvas,” she replied and gave a slight bow.

“Related to King Theron Relvas of the Kingdom of Edrathia?” I asked respectfully.

“His grandmother,” she said, smiling brighter. “I like to travel around and stay with the other sovereigns and try not to overstay my welcome, but I have been in Skyliton for two centuries and wonder if they forget I am even here.” She chuckled at her joke. “It is a fine library, and I will help you find any topic you are looking for.”

Maerlyn was extremely helpful, asking me about the broader goings-on in the world as she led me to each section. She was disarmingly friendly. “Why are you not with your grandson?” I asked as I paged through some unique spell forms for the water affinity I didn’t have.

“You know how it is with the youth, they think they know everything and don’t want to be advised,” she said mirthfully.

“With age comes wisdom, and it is a shame they don’t use yours, Maerlyn.”

She laughed, “I like you, Seeker Eryk! I fear it is the mingling of our races that has cast me out. I am not bitter, but when human kings give up the reins of their kingdom after a century, it is hard for elvenkind not to follow. Theron doesn’t even listen to his father’s advice. So I am cursed to find my own enjoyment in life. Queen Adelin has generously allowed me access to her knowledge.” She gestured down below at an end table stacked with books.

I almost wanted to show Maelyn the dreamscape amulet in hopes she would leave behind a clone of herself, but I knew if she shared so much knowledge, the backlash would be severe. Overall, I added books on magic affinities, dungeon artifacts, and a few on dragon lore. “You have worn out an old used woman, Seeker. I must get a few hours.” After she left, I paged through some genealogy books of the Heptarchy sovereigns. There was a lot of intermarrying among the two elven nations, so the two kings’ similar appearance made sense. Among the six human kingdoms, marriages were also used frequently, but it seemed to be so only for the eldest. I was curious why Princess Elenora had not been forced into a marriage yet.

With no windows, it was a servant who found me and called me to breakfast with the rising sun. Maveith and Alhar were already here, and soon followed by Baelira and Evie. “Where is Kyrenic?”

“He went into the city to check on old friends,” Daius said from his position near the door.

I wondered whether he was seeking help for the journey, but when we discovered Kyrenic in the stables, he was by himself. “Everything good?” I asked Kyrenic after Ginger received her motivational apple for today’s ride.

Kyrenic nodded heavily. “I spoke with some old friends. A call for volunteers will soon be made, and they’ll strongly support it now. Mother aims high and hopes to gather thirty thousand additional soldiers within the kingdom, but if they don’t come back, that loss will burden the next generation.” I understood the knight’s dilemma, even if he didn’t say it outright. He was using his aura influence to motivate people to enlist.

It was a three-day journey to Kyrenic’s order. We traveled along the road for two days, staying in small inns each night. Kyrenic always seemed to know more than a few people, but he still insisted on paying for our rooms even though they were offered for free.

I watched Alhar, Maveith, Kyrenic, and Baelira practice. I observed from the window as Evie traced her next spell form in an attempt to learn it quicker. Then we would both enter the dreamscape. I would deposit another dozen new tomes, and Evie would continue her magic studies.

Watching Evie made me think it might be time for me to consider a new spell form. My teleport spell form had stabilized on my aether core. I had three affinities open on my core: water at 20, energy at 17, and worlds at 88. I wanted to raise energy to 40 so I could learn aetheric disruption, so for now, I was reviewing the spell forms every few days in the dreamscape in anticipation. I had listed dungeons that likely contained creatures with energy essences. The two spell forms I found in the repository in Sanctuary for the worlds affinity were complex, and there were no descriptions of what they did.

I had accumulated seventeen lesser, seven mid-ranked, and four greater spell forms for water. Since many of the mid-tier ones were improved versions of the lesser tier, it might be better to wait until I reach at least a 30 affinity to broaden my choices. As long as I didn’t lose the dreamscape amulet, all the possibilities would be open to me.

On the third day, we veered off the main road and headed toward the distant mountains. Those peaks marked the tail of the Dragon Spine Mountains, which stretched across the entire continent. The road was definitely lightly traveled, and I knew Kyrenic’s order was small. The knights were required to have a celestial affinity for their order’s iconic spell form. Since it was so rare, they needed hundreds of celestial essences to increase each knight’s affinity. They obtained these affinities from the dungeon their order monopolized—The Twilight Warrior Dungeon.

The stronghold of Kyrenic’s order appeared to be in the middle of nowhere and was made from beige sandstone. That made it very unique since all the stone in sight was granite. As we approached the walls, Maveith asked that very question. “Where was this stone quarried?”

Kyrenic had an answer. “No idea. I do know that this stone has been repurposed. There used to be a much larger city here, one where the Titans lived. It was destroyed, and my order used the rubble to build. Welcome to my order’s home—The Sanctum of the People’s Blade.

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