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Subject: Camara, Lady of the Sword - Heroic Fantasy (7/9)
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Camara, Lady of the Sword - Heroic Fantasy
Book 1 - "Hope and a Prayer" - Chapter 7 / 9
Story #6
By Tom Bombadil (c) Sep 1997
********************************************************************
All of the Tom Bombadil stories, including the previous
chapters, are found at Shelby's Web Page:
http://members.iglou.com/stbush/stories.html
********************************************************************
Disclaimer: All the standard rules apply. If you are offended
by explicit descriptions of sex or the human body, if it is
illegal to possess such materials at your location, if you are
under-age by law in your location, or if somebody else thinks you
might have too much fun reading it, stop right now and remove this
text from your computer.
This is purely a work of fiction, with all characters and actions
described by me coming straight out of my imagination. As a work of
fiction, it does not condone or condemn any of the activities or
actions described, nor does it relate to any type of real events in
my life, or known to me in the lives of any of my friends or
relatives.
You've been warned.
********************************************************************
It was only a hint of something that slowed up Camara and Verran.
Something felt wrong, out of place. Her alarms went off.
Both shouted at the same time. "Ambush!"
Without the element of surprise, it was another slaughter. More
assassins, more unidentifiable soldiers. Two more dead sell-swords
dead, another half-dozen people injured. More of a score to settle
with the wizard.
After that interruption, Camara and her troops made fast time
on their return to Saldar. No further surprises showed up. They
entered the city at dusk and headed straight for the palace.
The sell-swords broke off then, their contract complete.
Accompanied only by her inner cadre, and the leaders of the king's
contingent of troops, they entered the throne room without bothering
to talk with or seek permission from the castellan, or wait for the
proper ritual introductions.
Despite the sunshine and bright weather, spirits inside the castle
were grim and gloomy. Everyone Camara passed seemed intent on
getting to wherever they were going without greeting or even seeing
anyone else. Even King Merovance seemed on edge.
Her news brought him near to panic.
"Are you positive?"
"Not absolutely, but I don't see any other possibility. It has to
be Patteron. He's the only one I know of in your city with the
power and the ambition to pull off such a stunt, though even he
must have someone on the inside helping him."
"Typhus! That oaf brother of mine has been up something recently!
I know he didn't steal the medallion, or have dealings directly
with those who did, but he's been far too civil and polite lately.
That's the someone else who's involved!"
"If it's him, then there's trouble brewing. He saw us enter, and
spoke with a couple of your returning guards. No doubt he knows
we found out about the wizard and has warned him of us. We have to
move fast!"
The king yelled for his captains, and Camara called for her group.
They split forces, with Verran, Trieste, and Taggart going after
the Prince, and Camara, Sir William, Lydia, and Humboldt heading
for the wizard's quarters. One guard captain, along with a squad
of soldiers, accompanied each. The captain who was with Camara
ordered every soldier they met to follow as well. M'Lady became a
little more anxious at that, and asked the captain why.
"The wizard has his own personal guard, as well as something else in
his quarters. He warned us all to stay out on pain of death, and
one servant disobeyed. Only his dismembered head was left, and it
had been gnawed upon. If we weren't in such a rush, I'd wait for
that half-century I sent for to arrive from the barracks."
The captain's fears were well founded, as they were met in the
hallway in front of the wizard's rooms by two squads of elite
troops. The fighting was fierce and bloody, with Camara accounting
for three of the enemy, including their leader. All had been
skilled opponents, and they drained much of her energy. During a
brief lull, she saw Humboldt take out one guard with wizard fire.
It wasn't magic, but the powder burst into flames when thrown at his
opponent and temporarily blinded the man, leaving him wide open to a
knockout blow. She also saved the captain's life once by using her
chakram to disable someone attacking him from behind. Sir William,
of course, was being his usual self, shouting at everyone, and
taunting his opponents before overpowering them with both skill and
brute force.
Without warning, another squad of the wizard's troops, along with
two *somethings*, charged around the corner. Humboldt screamed a
word, something meant to identify what they were, but she did not
know the name he used and let him know it.
"The eyes! Take out their eyes!" he yelled instead. That, she
had no problem with. At least, not with his meaning. Putting the
words into practice was a touch more difficult.
They were a little larger than man-sized and looked faintly
feminine, with a leopard-like countenance. Both were fast and
long-limbed, with razor sharp claws and fangs. Neither of the
creatures seemed to care which humans they were rending either,
something one of the wizard's slower guards found out the hard way.
Her chakram took out the eyes of the first, but the second deflected
it into a wall, where it sank in and stuck fast. The first one
simply faded away, leaving nothing. The second screamed and
attacked.
Leaping ahead of the ongoing battle, and over the heads of the
oncoming guards, she landed face to face with the new creature. It
moved fast, but she was faster. It soon became apparent to Camara
that her opponent took no wound from even the hardest blow, so she
concentrated instead on following Humboldt's instruction. The
battle lasted for several minutes, and Camara suffered a few more
wounds and bruises, but she finally managed to take out one eye,
then the other. That creature also faded away without a trace. By
then, the King's guards had finished off most of the wizard's
cronies.
A scream from the rear caught her attention. More of Patteron's
troops had appeared. Muttering to herself, she decided not to waste
any further time, and went to find the spell caster. Humboldt
followed. She pulled her chakram from the wall as she went.
The first room they entered was a meeting and reading room, looking
like any normal lord's. The second was a bedroom, and looked
strange. Much was done in black, and odd devices and carvings
lined the walls. The third room had to be a wizard's work area.
Benches, books, and strange apparatus filled the place to bursting.
Yet, no other person was present.
Humboldt was the one who noticed the slightly skewed wall panel,
where a secret door had not been closed properly. Some sort of
nasty smell, and an eerie chant, greeted them as they passed through
the doorway. At the end of a short hallway, Camara found Patteron.
She froze in horror at what was in that next room.
( The Bard:
Ahem, <cough>. Sorry, my throat is a little dry.
<He receives stares from a number of very irritated lords and
ladies, as well as from a few of the servants. They take his hint
and refill both his wineglass and his mug of ale.>
Any questions? Any further interruptions? No? Are you certain
this time?
<He grins at the expectant crowd>
Thank you. I believe I'll continue my tale. )
Camara stared with horror into the wizard's magic room. Within was
a scene worthy of even her nightmares. Blood-red candles lined the
walls, emitting a horrid stench. Implements of torture, tools of
sorcery, and other things unidentifiable hung on them as well.
Roof beams, painted black, with sickly green sigils carved deep into
the wood, were visible. The floor was a plain, unadorned black,
smooth and polished, unbroken except for a small throne, an altar on
a dais, and a demonic circle. Inside the circle, flowing from floor
to ceiling, was a swirling column of reddish-yellow smoke.
Patteron knelt in front of the black stone altar, holding a
wave-bladed dagger in one hand, and the beating heart of his victim
in the other. The victim's mouth was still open as he tried to
scream, eyes staring crazily at what used to be his life. Some
magic, either of the altar or of the ceremony, prevented his spirit
from leaving his body, keeping him somehow alive and able to suffer.
Finally, as she stood there, frozen with shock, sounds of terror
started coming from his mouth.
A shape began to take form within the smoke cloud. It was large,
much larger than a human, but looked vaguely humanoid. The details
were obscured, but a general outline could sometimes be seen.
Suddenly, from behind her, a knife whizzed by, embedding itself in
the screaming man's neck. His voice cut off, yet still he did not
die. His eyes remained fixed on the wizard's hand, where his heart
continued to beat. A second dagger flew over her shoulder, heading
for the wizard. It went past him somehow, even though Camara would
have sworn it was headed for his chest. A hard push from behind
staggered her, causing her to fall into the room, breaking her
trance. William ran past with his sword drawn, heading for the
wizard. Humboldt peeked through the doorway and began mumbling a
spell of some sort.
That push and fall broke whatever enchantment or fog that had been
keeping her from action. Leaping to her feet, M'Lady also ran for
the wizard, but both were too late to stop his summoning. With a
roar, the beast reached out and snatched the heart from Patteron's
hand, pulping it, and releasing the victim's essence. Despite the
dagger in his throat, he managed a final scream of despair as his
spirit was consumed. All the remaining smoke in that wizard's
circle cleared, revealing to sight what had been brought forth.
Imagine a creature ten feet tall, manlike in general shape, covered
in dense green fur. Imagine that creature to be well-muscled, yet
still cadaverously thin. Imagine it having a mouth like a bear,
with strong jaws and huge teeth, and with long, sharp claws, like
those of an eagle, tipping each of its digits. Imagine this
creature's eyes glowing with green eldritch fire as it howls with
hunger. Now imagine this creature looking into your eyes with an
intelligent grin of anticipation.
Only the bravest, or the most foolhardy, would stand before such
an abomination. Fewer still would be able to function. Camara
whispered a quick, fervent prayer to her god as well as several
others, activated her amulet, and drew her sword. She felt a brief
wash of magic cover her from behind, and silently thanked Humboldt
for whatever protection he had the presence of mind to give her.
The monster lunged, faster than seemed possible for its size,
faster than M'Lady expected, and managed to nick her shoulder with
one of its talons as she dodged its attack. The wound burned like
a small flame had been ignited within her flesh, and she could feel
her amulet's magic warring with whatever evil influence the creature
was exerting. It stopped for a few seconds, waiting for something to
happen, and when nothing did, it looked very unhappy and attacked
again.
A movement, caught in the corner of her eye, saved her again.
Patteron was attempting to brain her with his staff. Somehow the
magic in that room negated most of her own, robbing her of her
alarms. She moved to avoid his blow, then had to leap out of harm's
way as the creature attacked where she was moving to. That leap
carried her over the monster's charge and away from the wizard.
With a fast turn, she attempted to take advantage of an immediate
attack from its rear, but the creature was too quick for her to
succeed.
With a roar it charged, again supernaturally fast. Camara changed
her dodge to a leap at the last instant, seeing that the wizard was
ready to strike where a normal dodge would have positioned her. It
was now obvious to M'Lady that the creature and the wizard were
either well-practiced together, or they could communicate somehow.
That made them even more dangerous than she had thought possible.
For the next moment or two, she leaped, she dodged, she spun, and
she ducked, avoiding numerous attacks from both opponents. At one
point, she saw William, lying against a wall, bleeding from a cut
on his scalp, his helmet lying to one side. She couldn't tell if he
was alive or dead. Her own wounds, as well as the effects of the
previous fighting, had weakened her and slowed her down. Even
worse, her tiredness, and the rapid attacks by Patteron and the
creature, kept her from slipping into her battle state.
Suddenly, during one of the monster's feints, it slipped and fell.
An icy patch had appeared beneath it's feet, somehow, and left it
out of action for a few precious seconds. Camara attacked Patteron
viciously, ready to slam a hail of blows on him. Her first, which
he ignored, should have severed his hand from his arm, but did not.
Her sword went past the arm, somehow, instead of through it. She
received a nasty blow to her back because of that unexpected miss.
A vague memory of something she'd been taught finally floated to the
top of her consciousness, one about a certain kind of spell, a spell
requiring a great deal of power to cast, but very little to
bypass. She tried desperately to remember the keywords and the
gesture for the little cantrip she needed to mess up his magic, but
that memory evaded her, she being too tired and too involved in the
battle for something so deeply buried to be remembered easily.
She had to contend with both the creature and the wizard again.
Tiring quickly after all her previous exertions, she knew there
was no way to avoid them forever. So finally, instead of leaping
away from the creature's attack, she leaped through it, trying to
slice it somewhere. Her hardest blow barely managed to penetrate
its fur and thick hide, but that wound caused the creature to
scream in pain, and it then moved so quickly it managed to backhand
her and throw her across the room. When she hit the wall, she hit
hard, the blow dazing her for several seconds. Her eyes refocussed
to see Trieste and Taggart occupying the attention of their
opponents. Taggart fell prey to the same feint she had, he having
no better luck striking the wizard than she, but he received a
blow to his head that drove him into unconsciousness, or worse.
Shaking off her dizziness, she once again attacked the creature,
this time from behind. One blow penetrated, and the monster gave
her both its bellow of pain and its attention. Trieste became
fully occupied fending off the attacks of Patteron. Being unable to
land a blow in retaliation was a definite handicap.
Two sounds caught her attention. The first was Humboldt shouting
something at her, words which she couldn't make out, because the
second was the creature screaming at her at the same time. It was
able to talk, somehow, despite its animal snout and the shape of its
head and neck.
"Warrior woman! I eat you soon!" Its voice was deep and gravelly,
barely understandable, but it was there. If the creature was
hoping that would give it another surprise advantage, it figured
wrong. Its quick, lunging attack missed badly, and it received one
more small wound. Turning and running, suddenly it was attacking
Trieste from her flank. Camara ran to her aid, but was a fraction
of a second too late as the wizard, aided by his beast's
distraction, managed to sneak in a blow that crashed the thief into
the wall. She fell to the floor, looking completely lifeless.
A shouted word from Humboldt finally penetrated her awareness, and
that was all it took to trigger her memory of the spell she needed.
Taking less time to do than to say, she cast the cantrip on herself,
the one for truesight. Instantly Patteron's form wavered, misted,
and reappeared a few feet from where it formerly looked to be. A
single attack on his correct location made him realize he'd been
found out.
Humboldt managed another distraction, this time by igniting some
glowspheres in front of the monster's face. His action gave Camara
the instants she needed to finish off the wizard. Without his
magical deception, he was no more than an adequate fighter. With a
quick feint, two fast blows blocked, a leap and a slash, she laid
open his neck. He died in a splatter of blood, gurgling his last
breath. There were no flames, no lights, no horrid noises when his
spirit passed across to the other side, just a final bubbling
wheeze. All the roaring and screaming came from his creature.
It reared back, bellowing wildly, surrounded by a blue-green glow.
The light got thicker and brighter, swirling slowly at first, then
faster and faster until nothing else was visible. A low hum filled
her ears, rising, then lowering in pitch, dying off at the same time
the swirling light around the monster disappeared. In place of that
horrid beast stood a man, or what appeared to be a man, dressed in
fine leathers, holding a longsword. He stood a few inches over six
feet tall, was decently muscled, and looked hard and tough. His
appearance was that of a darkly handsome gentleman, neat and well
groomed. Only those burning green eyes betrayed it as the same
being.
"Well, well, well," he (it?) said. "Whoever you are, I owe you a
debt of gratitude. You've set us free from that creature there."
M'Lady did not let her guard down, despite the soft and gentle
voice of whatever it was she faced. "Who, or what, are you?" she
asked.
"An appropriate question. I, we, are Heppanae, once an avatar, now
a hunger. That creature summoned us, me, here from Tartarus, from
my, our, feeding. I was eternally hungry for living flesh. Now
there is fresh food available all around. The wizard is gone, thank
you very much, but you and the others will do nicely in its place.
I hunger."
"Why do you owe me gratitude? And what's this nonsense about me
setting you free?" M'Lady was trying to draw out the conversation.
She needed time to recover her breath and some strength. If it had
attacked immediately, she doubted she would have survived.
"Both are the same question. That creature summoned me, us, and
bound me to its will. I could not free us from its dominion. When
you killed it, you set us, me, free. To show my gratitude, you will
die quickly, unlike the others."
"I don't think so. In fact, I think the only thing you'll be doing
is going back to Tartarus!"
Camara attacked suddenly and viciously, swinging at the creature,
testing its speed and skill. Both were unmatched by any opponent
she had yet faced. They faced off again.
"Oh, something else that creature lacked was imagination. A ten
foot hulking brute of a beast, indeed! Slower and stupider than
any other shape I've had to assume. What an imbecile." A brief
flurry of swordstrikes and blocked kicks took place. The creature
continued on as if nothing had happened. "Powerful, skilled, and
knowledgeable, but no real brainpower." Another flurry of blows
and kicks took place. Only one landed on target, and that was a
fist to Camara's jaw.
"You're pretty good. But definitely not good enough. Now just
hold still and we, I, will end this quickly."
The creature attacked this time, raining down swordstrikes.
Suddenly it slipped on a patch of icy floor and narrowly avoided
being spitted. A high back flip moved it out of danger.
"Now that wasn't nice at all. Time to end this charade."
With that, the creature waved a hand at the doorway where Humboldt
was hiding, and a swath of green fire flowed from its fingertips.
It landed on the walls and on the floor outside the room. Some
splashed from the floor onto Humboldt, and his pained screams could
be heard retreating down the hallway.
It waved its hand again, and another green spray erupted, heading
for M'Lady. Her jump to avoid the attack did no good, as the
liquid fire changed direction to intercept her in mid air. To the
creature's amazement, Camara attacked the spray with her sword,
making the stuff separate and dissipate. Her amulet, won so long
ago at such a high cost, paid for itself once again. The gem's
powerful protection against otherworldly magic allowed her to
survive what would otherwise be a deadly attack.
Recovering quickly, it yelled and charged. They swung and blocked
blows, they feinted, they riposted one another. Occasionally a
fist or foot would connect, but never steel. Camara's mind could
finally focus again, and she built herself up into that special
zone of hers. Once again, she felt the thrill and excitement of
being completely alive and aware. Once again, she became a will
and a mind devoid of distraction. Once again, her body became an
extension of her thoughts. Her special madness took over. A wild,
exultant yell exploded from her mouth, startling the creature for
an instant. She let loose with a scream of joy, of pleasure, of
anticipation. For the first time, a hint of doubt crossed the
creature's features.
Her face looked as wild and excited as the yell she had sounded,
a look that had sent many lesser fighters running. Her sword
swung easily and loosely in her hand. Her feet were light - her
steps fast and sure.
"You think to snack on my friends, do you? To make short work of
me? Not while I'm still breathing! C'mon, tough guy. Show me
what you got, 'cause I don't think you got what you been braggin'
about. Well? What are you waiting for? Let's get it on!" With
wild eyes and a teasing look she egged on the creature. Camara
mouthed "C'mon" once or twice, while smiling wickedly.
They engaged again, and this time steel and flesh met. Camara
received a small slice on her thigh. When the creature sneered,
M'Lady pointed her sword at its shoulder, where a similar wound
oozed a greenish puss. Again they met, but this time the creature
landed a side kick to Camara's head. She back flipped out of
range to recover her equilibrium.
It charged her once again, hoping to repeat its earlier success, but
instead received a nasty slice across its ribs. The creature
concentrated, and the wound closed up, but a certain stiffness
indicated that it still suffered. M'Lady charged, flipping high in
the air to come at it from above. This time it received a nasty
slice down its left arm as well as a boot to the face. Her focus
was improving, and its was slipping.
During a short face-off period, the creature spoke again.
"What are you? No mortal has ever come this close to defeating me!
Which power do you represent?"
Without speaking, she attacked again. After several more blocked
blows and thrusts, she began to reply, in between swings, in short
staccato bursts of words.
"I am Camara."
"A mortal, a warrior."
"Despoiler of nations."
"Kingmaker, king breaker."
"Plaything of the gods."
"I am Camara."
"And I!"
"Am!"
"Your!"
"Doom!"
Each word, each phrase, was followed by another heavy attack. The
creature was finally tiring, desperately defending itself. M'Lady
manoeuvred it away from her fallen friends, just in case. She
received several more small wounds during the struggle, and felt
them, but could ignore the hurt. It received several as well, ones
that were definitely more severe than hers. With a final series of
blows, she disarmed it.
"Time to send you back to Tartarus where you belong!" It was with a
nasty hiss and a very ugly scowl that she pierced the thing where a
human heart would be.
At that same instant, King Merovance and a dozen of his elite
guards, accompanied by Humboldt and Verran, spilled through the
doorway. They were just in time to witness the unearthly demise
of her opponent's mortal form. Green ichor poured from its wounds,
running faster and thicker with each passing second, and quickly
formed a puddle on the floor. Its body began to thin, to collapse
in upon itself. More goo flowed. Eventually there was nothing left
except an empty skin bag and a small pond of slime. A white light
then shot down through the roof, directly into the centre of the
muck, igniting it into a green-burning mass, one that emitted a
thick and very foul smoke. Only then did Camara collapse to the
floor, fainting with relief, exhaustion, and the effects of her
eldritch wounds. Aided by Verran, the king's guards pulled
everyone, whether living or dead, from the room.
Verran carried M'Lady from that scene himself. After carefully
placing her on a table, he checked her wounds thoroughly. Only
when he was satisfied she was not seriously hurt, and would
recover, did he give her a kiss on the forehead and let a healer
attend to her. Everyone except Patteron and his victim was still
alive. The king's priests and healers had to work very hard to
keep them that way.
It wasn't long before Camara woke. She looked up at Verran and the
king from where she lay sprawled on the table, smiled, and said
"perfect timing." She then watched King Merovance remove the
Medallion of the Sabre from around his ex-wizard's neck and place it
around his own.
M'Lady thought it a rather plain, almost ugly little thing, hardly
looking like it was worth all the bloodshed and horror surrounding
its theft and recovery. Only much later, when the king activated it
during his ceremonial ascension, and it glowed with a pure, silvery
light, did the medallion look like something other than a cheap
trinket. She wondered about the taste of its original crafters.
Staring at Patteron's lifeless corpse, Camara thought she should
feel satisfaction, or anger, or even relief that all was over and
done with, yet there was nothing other than a numbness. Inside,
where feelings come from, there was an emptiness, almost as if there
was a hole in her heart. Even thoughts of Briana brought out only
distant echoes of emotion, like she was remembering something from
long ago.
Exhausted, she lay there, staring dully as others hustled and
bustled about their business, wondering what had happened to her.
Several people asked questions about the recent battle, and what
it was that she fought. Dully, she answered. Then someone reached
over, closed her eyes, and told her to sleep. So she did.
----------
Several hours later, she was awakened by a touch. One of the
healers wanted her to drink some sort of concoction. Though it
smelled vile and tasted worse, she did, and he left. Verran was
also there, sitting at the foot of her cot, and it looked to her
like he had been sitting there forever.
Both appeared exhausted. Both were bruised and bandaged. Both
managed smiles, though Camara's was rather forced.
"How do you feel?"
Camara closed her eyes and sighed. "Sore. Tired. And you?"
"Aside from these minor wounds, about the same. But that is not
what I wish to know. How do you feel?"
Since Gedren, he had asked that same question several times. Her
answer, up until then, was angry. It was what she thought she
should feel, what she had convinced herself she was feeling. With
the wizard dead, there was no longer a reason for anger, and no
longer a reason for her to lie to herself. Verran waited in silence
for her answer. It was long in coming.
"Betrayed, a little. Alone. Tired. Abandoned."
"You feel no relief? No joy? No happiness? Is there not even some
pride in what you have accomplished?"
When she opened her eyes, he saw nothing but an aching loneliness in
them. She slowly shook her head.
"Camara, you have done what few people in this world could have.
You defeated an avatar. That makes you the equal of Hercules,
Sampson, Gilgamesh, B'nGash, Jason, and perhaps a handful of
others. Elite company indeed. If you do not feel pride in what
you have done this day, then I do not know what would satisfy you."
"How many of your friends have died over the years, Verran? A few
dozen? A few hundred? Have you become numb to losing them?"
He shrugged, then frowned. "Too many. More than I could count
easily, yet I mourn the passing of each. Never have I become
inured to their loss. Is that what has affected you so deeply?"
"I don't know. Ever since Bracchus' death, there's been an
emptiness, an absense of feeling. It's as though something inside
has withered. All I feel is this longing, but for what, I don't
know. Even when I stared at Patteron's body and thought of Briana,
there was nothing." She shrugged.
Taking some time to collect his thoughts, Verran rubbed his
temples and his eyes. "You have received several blows recently,
any one of which could have destroyed a weaker person. There has
been no time for you to mourn, or reflect, or absorb, and you have
closed away everything. This may be your inner self's way of coping
with such tragedy. You may simply need time to recover, to allow
yourself the luxury of bereavement. Let the past catch up."
"Catch up to what? And for what?"
He shook his head slightly. "Such questions should need no answer.
You need to feel the pain before you can heal, and you must heal
before you can do anything about the longing you feel. Is there a
reason for that to be all you have left?"
"Perhaps. It's just that I feel so, so alone, almost like I've been
cursed to lose anyone I let into my heart. The question of who's
next keeps running through my head. You, perhaps? Even though
we've never been lovers? Or Trieste? Maybe Taggart or Humboldt.
Or, most likely, the next person who I invite into my bed. It just
seems so pointless, going on without hope of ever finding someone to
share my life with, someone who won't just up and leave, or die, or
something."
"Camara, there is nothing you can do about the past. Only the
present. You make a difference. Many people would have been slain
if that wizard's conjuration had not been stopped. There would have
been war. Briana knew the risks she would be taking by joining us.
She chased you down, as I recall. Bracchus chose his own route, for
his own reasons, and got what he deserved. And you are not
responsible for whatever happened to Ariel. You have lost several
who were dear to you. Many have died in your service, true, but you
did not force the swords into their hands. They did what they did
willingly, knowing what could happen. For good or ill. A hundred
years from now, bards will sing and tell tall tales of the battle
that took place in this castle on this day. Those who stood by you
will also be remembered, sharing in your glory and fame. For many,
being with you will be the greatest and most wonderful time of their
lives, despite the fear, danger, and hardship."
"And for those who have died?"
"They have died. Hopefully, they died well. Their memories live
on. Camara, you did not create Patteron. His misdeeds, and what
he caused to happen, were not your fault. You stopped him. We
stopped him. We have accomplished a great thing."
"If only I had your outlook. Things would be so much simpler."
"Camara, you would not be you if you thought like me. You would be
a female me, something the world is probably better off without.
A few generations from now, none of this will matter. Nothing but
the stories will remain."
Verran got up, walked to the head of her cot, glanced around, then
leaned over to whisper in her ear. There was a strange glint in
his wide-open eyes.
"Did you know that the monster you fought was fifteen feet tall?
And it had teeth the length of a dagger? And it used a sword no
mortal man could even lift? Seven feet long, it had to be. And
the creature moved so fast you could only see a blur. It threw
wizard's fire with a wave of its hand, and no ordinary blade could
pierce its hide."
At her look of puzzlement, he stood, looking shocked that she would
show any disbelief of his words.
"It's the truth, I swear! I got that from an impeccable source -
I overheard one of the greenhorn guards talking to a kitchen maid,
and since he was there throughout the whole battle, he knew what he
was talking about."
She smiled and shook her head.
"I imagine," he continued, "that in a week or so, the creature will
be twenty feet tall, have two heads and a spear-pointed tail,
breathe fire, and shoot lightning from its eyes. It will move
faster than the wind, be stronger than ten horses, and kill with
nothing but a touch. Every guard in the palace, and even some that
weren't, will have been there at the end. But however large that
monster gets, you still defeated it. That fact will remain, and
your fame will grow along with the beast."
Looking at Camara for a moment without speaking, he smiled sadly
and shook his head again.
"It looks like none of this means anything to you. One day it will,
although that day may be some ways off. You should rest. When you
awaken, you have some very large expectations to rise up to."
With a final touch of his hand to her cheek, he left. She watched
him leave, then took his advice and closed her eyes. Sleep came
quickly.
<End of chapter 7>
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