The Eternal Blade Saga Book 3: Into the Fire, Prologue
Mira Jayne flopped down on her sleeping pad and groaned. It had only been the second day of her assignment, and already every part of her body hurt. She and the rest of the group had journeyed on foot from the Priory’s headquarters in Lornar’s Pass to the kodan settlement, Song of Final Exile, in Snowden Drifts. It had been a long journey, and they had been met with challenging weather conditions on the way, but Mira’s excitement for the assignment fueled her resolve. She was not about to let a little weather stop her from participating in her very first mission.
The group took Millie—a young, but stout dolyak—and loaded her up with various goods for transport. Their task was to continue trade relations with the kodan. They were a northern race of bipedal white bears, known for their cultural spirituality and concern for balance in all aspects of life. They kept mainly to the northern Shiverpeaks and were wary of other cultures who tried to interact with them. The bears would keep their distance at first and take their time evaluating newcomers before deciding how best to help bring them to balance.
After a few persistent attempts, the Priory had been lucky enough to finally strike up relations with this particular tribe of kodan settled along the southern mountains in Snowden Drifts. They brought food and healing supplies, and in exchange, the kodan provided knowledge of their history as well as their beliefs. When an opening on the team assigned to Song of Final Exile opened up, Mira jumped at the opportunity and volunteered. She was young and had no experience with missions, but through her diligence and drive, she proved to Magister Alma Snowseeker she was ready for the responsibility.
On the day of their arrival, Magister Alma kept Mira busy with familiarizing her with the location. On her tour, the young woman was especially taken by the red flags draped along and between the sturdy structures. They flapped freely in the alpine breeze, as if waving hello. At least that’s what Mira liked to pretend they were doing.
She was then given the task of moving supplies from their dolyak cart into the kodan’s storage room. By the end the first day, her arms and legs felt like rocks. She was exhausted, and her shoulders burned every time she moved them. The young ranger had not been accustomed to so much physical work, but even still, the joy in her discovery of this new race outweighed any pain she felt.
Having been born and raised in the human capital of Divinity’s Reach, Mira did not have many opportunities to learn much about other races. A sylvari, norn, or asura traveler would pass through the city on occasion, but never stayed long. Charr were almost never seen due to continued underlying tensions between their kind and the humans, despite the peace treaty established in 1325AE. When she was old enough, Mira sought a position within the Durmand Priory, in hopes of expanding her knowledge beyond her own culture. Thanks to her new assignment, she was now finally able to immerse herself within the life of another race.
The kodan intrigued Mira. They didn’t seem to always communicate in what Mira considered traditional speech. They liked riddles and metaphors, making a point to note the importance of balance, and it took her a little while to get used to the strange discourse. In time, however, she grew to enjoy the conversations. There was one kodan in particular, Mending Heart, whom Mira had taken a liking to. She remembered hearing the name from Azoricum’s stories during their journey to the settlement. The sylvari had described this particular kodan as a quiet soul with unending patience. To her surprise, as soon as Mending Heart noticed the new addition to the Priory team, he immediately took Mira under his paw and began a friendly exchange. Their conversations lasted well into the evenings, and it wasn’t until the moon hung high in the sky each night when Mira had to finally excuse herself to go sleep.
“I didn’t think you two would run out of words so soon,” Azoricum said as she entered the guest quarters. The sylvari sat down on her sleeping mat next to Mira and started untying the leather straps on her boots. Her silvery illumination softly pulsated from between panels in her laurel bark-like skin, providing the only other light in the room aside from a lantern next to Azoricum’s sleeping pad.
Mira yawned and rolled over onto her side so she could see her fellow Priory explorer. “No, we still had plenty left. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore,” she replied. “I never knew kodan could be so friendly…or talk so much.”
Azoricum chuckled as she kicked off her boots and stretched out on her sleeping mat. Her skin creaked and the pale leaves adorning her head rustled as she rubbed at her cold limbs. “They usually don’t, especially Mending Heart. He usually spends most of his time in contemplation. I’ve never seen him so talkative before. It must be your friendly face.”
Mira flashed Azoricum a tired smile and then yawned again. Despite her exhaustion, the young Priory explorer was proud of herself for having had her first successful encounter with a new race. She couldn’t wait to write up her report and hand it in to Magister Alma. Surely her success would grant her glowing remarks on her record.
“Is she still out there?” another voice asked. Ian Fayde, a tall, lanky man carrying a pack on his back, entered the guest quarters. His long, blonde hair was neatly pulled back with a leather tie, but the rest of him looked haggard. The top clasps of his Priory jerkin were undone, and his boots were heavily scuffed. A longbow hung off his pack; it knocked into the door frame as he entered.
“Alma?” Mira asked as she glanced over her shoulder at him.
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Azoricum added. “She’s always the first awake and the last one asleep. She wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Ian tossed his pack and bow next to a sleeping pad across from Mira and Azoricum, and then flopped down upon it himself. “She’s dedicated, I’ll give her that, even if she is a hardass.”
“Don’t let her hear you,” Azoricum warned. “She’ll have you out on your backside and sleeping in the hay with Millie before you can blink.”
He merely scoffed and waved the sylvari off as he stretched out on his sleeping pad. His overt lack of concern for angering their group leader annoyed Mira, but his charismatic skills were helpful with new cultures. He was also a crack shot with a bow and a keen tracker. Over time, Mira learned to look past his less palatable habits and personality quirks. After all, what he brought to the team far outweighed any irritation he visited upon them.
“We should get some sleep.” Azoricum leaned over and extinguished the lamp’s flame with a cone-shaped snuffer. “Sweet dreams, everyone.”
***
“Wake up, let’s go!”
The booming voice startled Mira awake. She sat straight up, her eyes darting around the room for the source of the voice. A large frame loomed in the doorway, blocking most of the early morning light. She rubbed at her tired eyes, and as they focused, she saw Magister Alma looking at each of them, a hard frown on her thin lips.
“I need to see you all outside immediately.” She thumped on the door frame with her closed fist and then disappeared back outside.
Ian grunted as he slowly sat up and rubbed his face. He then reached out for one of his boots, finding one of them with his fingers after a few tries. “What in Melandru’s name is she all uppity about?” he groaned, pausing halfway through pulling the first boot on.
“No idea,” Mira replied as she slipped on her Priory overcoat and smoothed her wavy blonde hair back into a ponytail. “But it must be important for her to wake us up like that.”
Azoricum stood and stretched her arms over her head; a gentle cracking and popping from her bark-like skin filled the room. “We should go check it out.”
The trio finished dressing and stepped out into the early morning light. The sun had just risen, casting a warm glow out upon the snow-covered ground in every direction. Mira shielded her eyes from the bright light until they adjusted. Alma Snowseeker stood before a cooking fire with two worn-looking kodan at her side. Mira made note of their tall, slumping frames, their sullen eyes, and the torn red linen wraps under their leather and steel armor. Something was very wrong.
Steam swirled up from a mug Magister Alva held in her hands. Dark circles lined her under eyes, and her frosted dark-blonde hair had come loose from her short braid. The norn sipped from her mug carefully and then turned her attention to her team. “We have a situation,” she began gravely, “one that may require our help.”
The vertical indentations on Azoricum’s forehead deepened as she knit her brow, exaggerating the thick sections of her skin. “What sort of a situation are we talking about?” she asked.
“The kind which requires our specific knowledge and expertise,” Alma replied. She looked aside to the kodan she stood shoulder to should with. “Our friends can explain.”
One of the bears straightened herself. “We have been expecting a group of our brothers and sisters to return from a goodwill mission in Frostgorge Sound. They were to check on our people settled on the Ice Floe. Only one returned in the middle of the night. Our Claw is with them now.”
“Just one?” Azoricum asked. “How many were in the group?”
“There were five,” the other kodan replied. He had a scar cutting through his white fur near his left ear. He narrowed his heavy brow as flames from the cooking fire reflected in his dark eyes, adding to the overall rage they already exuded.
“Five…” Mira repeated quietly as she looked back and forth between the two kodan standing before them. “What do you think happened?”
“We do not know,” the first kodan replied and shook her head. “Their fates hang in the balance. We must find out what happened to them. The unknown must be known.”
“You said one came back in the middle of the night,” Azoricum began as she tried to rub warmth into her arms. “Can we see them?”
Alma glanced aside to the kodan at her side. They nodded, wordlessly giving their permission. The norn then motioned for the rest of her team to follow her to a small hut toward the back of the settlement. On the way, the sound of flapping caught Mira’s attention. She looked up at the series of wind-tattered red flags on ropes above them and smiled. Despite the sudden situation they had been presented with, they lightened her heart. Following behind Magister Alma, Mira peeked around the broad-shouldered norn and spied two armed bears standing guard at the front entrance of the hut. As the Priory group neared, the armored bears nodded and stood aside to let them all pass.
They all knocked the snow off of their boots before entering the dark chamber. The only available light was from an oil lamp hanging from a hook in the ceiling over a large bed in the corner of the room. It cast its warm glow of light down upon a large kodan laying still on top of an old stitched quilt draped over the mattress. His eyes were closed and his chest rising and falling steadily. Mira made note of their torn attire as well as the cuts and scratches all along their furred arms and legs. The Claw, Silent Snowfall, sat stoically in a large wood-carved chair next to the bed. She was a large kodan, clad in full armor with an imposing hammer resting against the side legs of her chair. As soon as the group entered, she rose and greeted them solemnly.
“I greet you all like the sky greets the sea,” she said, her voice deep and calm. She bowed her head politely, and then straightened herself once again. “Our brother, Whispered Song, has returned to us from visiting our tribes in Frostgorge Sound, but the others have not. When he returned to us, he was in a stupor, raving about Walking Ice. We need your help.”
“What can we do?” Alma asked without hesitation.
The Claw turned her attention to the norn woman, her dark eyes looking down her elongated white snout at all of them. “Koda has spoken to our Voice. We need the Priory’s knowledge. Please, help us find them and bring them back safely.”
“Will you please give us a minute?” the Magister requested.
The Claw nodded and returned to her chair as Alma motioned for her team to step outside with her.
“We have to go,” Mira insisted. “We’ve already established so much goodwill with them so far. If we turn our backs on the kodan now, it will shatter the bonds we’ve established.”
Alma nodded. “Mira has a point. Refusing our help could damage all the work we’ve done here so far, and it would be wrong of us not to help.”
Mira grinned, beaming with pride.
“So, we’re going on a hunt for four kodan, and we have no idea where they are—just that they are somewhere between here and Frostgorge Sound,” Ian pointed out. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the challenge. “Sounds like fun to me.”
Alma turned her attention to Azoricum, who had been silent so far. “And you, my friend. What say you?”
The sylvari pulled her cloak tighter around her shivering body. “My apologies. The cold air freezes my bark. No matter how many times I come to the Shiverpeaks, I can never seem to acclimate to this climate.” She managed a smile. “I agree with Mira. We should help the kodan find their brothers and sisters. It’s the least we can do after all they’ve done for us to further our understanding of their culture.”
“It’s settled then. We’ll send word to the Priory and leave as soon as we’re ready.” Alma took another sip from her mug. “Get something to eat and then gather your things. I’ll let the Claw know what we’ve decided.”
Magister Alma returned to the hut where the Claw was waiting, and Mira sped toward the guest quarters to grab her pack. Azoricum and Ian followed her close behind, grabbing their belongings as well before they returned to the cooking fire for a quick meal. Alma and the two kodan were gone, but Mending Heart was now there, nervously pacing back and forth. His strides were easily twice as long as hers, and his rear claws dug into the snow, creating a trench in the path he repeatedly walked. He wore a hammered breastplate on his chest and a sword on his hip. As Mira approached, he stopped and skirted around the fire toward her.
“Many Words, have you heard?” the he asked. The nickname had become a term of endearment for Mira, which he had recently bequeathed upon her. Amused with her short stature, he first thought of her as a pet and referred to her as Little Dolyak as he watched her carry materials back and forth when she had first arrived. However, after their lengthy discussions, Mending Heart changed the name to something he felt was more fitting. Mira was thankful. She wasn’t too keen on being referred to as a beast of burden.
“I have,” Mira replied as she secured her pack on her back. “We’re leaving soon to try to find your brothers and sisters. I’m sorry we won’t be able to finish our last conversation.”
Mending Heart leaned forward to straighten her pack’s strap which had gotten twisted when she had put it on. “Words are the rivers feeding our bond. It would be a shame to not let them flow.” He winked at Mira, and then smiled, revealing two rows of large, sharp teeth. He turned and motioned to a pack secured on his back.
“You’re coming with us!” Mira exclaimed.
The kodan nodded. “I must help find my brothers and sisters. The Voice has deemed it necessary.”
“The Voice…” Mira thought out loud. “Oh yes! I remember your Claw mentioning them. They’re like a shaman, listening to Koda and passing on His word…right?”
Flashing her a toothy smile, Mending Heart nodded. “Yes. You remembered. Very good, Many Words.”
“We could always use more muscle,” Ian said as he patted Mending Heart’s arm, eliciting a confused glance from the bear.
“I do not know what my muscles have to do with this,” he replied while examining his limbs.
“It’s just a saying,” Mira said. “It means you’ll be a valuable addition to our team.”
Mending Heart smiled proudly, but that smile then quickly fell almost as soon as it graced his muzzle.
“What is it?” Mira asked. “Is something wrong?”
“This mission…a dark cloud hangs over it. I can feel it in my bones,” he replied. “Many Words, the shadow…the smoke hides the source, and Koda wants us to go in blindly. I am afraid.”
Mira offered her new friend a reassuring smile as she moved closer and reached for his arm. Her hand sunk into his soft, white fur. “Can I tell you a secret?” she said just loud enough for only the two of them to hear. “I am too. Will you help me be brave?”
Mending Heart gently placed his large paw on Mira’s shoulder, engulfing the entire joint. “We will help each other be brave.”
