The Guardians of Celesk

Chapter 9: The Great North

The Northerners of Celesk, the Nyadians, had chosen a similar peace to the Guardians but they were not guided by a conscious sense of spirituality. They were harvesters of the sun and were blessed with an almost continuous spring, producing great yields of crops all year round. Their lands encircled a large lake which fed off a series of rivers, explaining why they were enthusiastic about fishing. This was both a livelihood and a pastime.

He cast the line into the shimmering waters, letting the weight on the line splash and send out vast ripples that pulsed along the surface. He would wait for the water to settle before he cast his gaze on the line, patiently waiting for a bite. The sun was setting in the distance as the tide continued to rise. He felt the line between his fingers, which was making a tight groove against his skin. Before he could feel a bite, a sudden splash was heard on the jetty behind him. Emerging from the water was his wife's radiant face, followed by a protruding belly. She could feel his gaze and in response she rubbed her hand in a circular manner around her belly and smiled. The golden glow of the sunset behind her, her skin appeared to glow along with her smile. They knew she was carrying a girl, by the way her stomach refused to bulge outwards but pressed towards the back. She could also sense it, a feminine aura would cloud over her sense of connection.

He almost lost focus on the line as he continued to admire her. As she walked towards him, still partially submerged in the light he was completely distracted as his line was dragged into the lake.

She laughed "You are hardly going to catch anything that way, my beloved."

"I caught your attention. Wasn't that enough?" he replied.

"No... besides, I thought you were practising for the tournament?"

"I was actually trying to catch our dinner. You're eating for two now," he said.

"Don't remind me... Well go on then, get it out of the water."

"No, it's your turn now". At that he dived into the water himself.

The Nyadian Line tournament was clearly serious business, though not so serious as having a child. Their private moment would soon be ruined by more people casting their lines into the water and the remaining fishing boats mooring on the main jetty as the sun slowly sank in the distance.

They pressed onwards to the north, the rest had allowed them time to gather energy and they were now strengthened as a battle party, the result of their union with the people of the forest. They created a makeshift camp on the outskirts of the forest and sent out scouts before strategizing their attack on the outpost. Under cover of darkness, Yordu had ordered the scouts to visualise everything and give him a detailed report at sunrise.

During the glow of the sun rising up over the hills, the scouts crested the last green hill – The Drussochs as they were called in the area - he eagerly waved them inside his tent.

"Tell me everything. Spare no detail, no matter how minute."

The newly named Celeskian Tales were sleeping soundly in their beds. They were all intoxicated not only by the generous bar tab, but also the excitement of the night, having received such warm and resounding applause. Even Garwyn managed a reasonable sleep. Each were given private rooms and large feathered beds, the best the host had to offer.

The moon was at its peak before the intruder crept by her bed. The door only muffled a slight creak as the intruder grasped its hinges and slinked along muffled shoes. In a quick reflex, they had a dagger poised above Garwyn's chest. It came plunging down in a sweeping moment but was heftly caught before the point of impact. Garwyn stared at her attacker with wide eyes and with her other hand she groped for the staff. As she caught it and brought it instinctively up, her attacker punched her with their remaining hand. This was a moment before a bolt fired from Lucern's crossbow, piercing their torso. The intruder gave a wail before being wrestled from the bed by Halthar ,who wrapped his arms around them before they could dream of escaping.