The Crimson Claymore

The Crimson Claymore: Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Karceoles pushed his horse to gallop alongside Searon and studied the city with intensity. He removed his pipe from his top pocket of his dusty brown robes and tapped his zylek to it, causing it to go alight. A pleasant honey-cinnamon aroma filled the air in puffs of smoke around them. Searon pulled out his pipe next and tipped it toward the wizard. Karceoles rolled his eyes lazily before tapping Searon's pipe, which he hastily began puffing on.

"The lost city of Brekaes Noielyna. Finally, I have found it. All these years, and I could never add the location of the rumors to my books."

"What is this place? It feels...corrupted," Starlyn nearly whispered.

"It was, though it should be safe now. It is a place of nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Andron asked, shivering.

"Yes." Karceoles puffed on his pipe, still staring at the palace.

"Karceoles...for this once, would you please expose the secrets you're keeping locked in your brain? We need to camp, and I think we'd better know of this place before we settle down," Searon said.

Karceoles sighed. "Very well. It began over six thousand years ago, or so I'm told."

Each turned to him with interest and wide eyes. They shivered in turn as a chilling, almost haunting breeze blew across the group. Karceoles puffed on his pipe a few more times before settling it back into his robe pouch and pulling his greasy white hair from his eyes to behind his head.

"The legend tells of another race that existed here well before the humans, kheshlars, draeyks, and even the wizards. They were a race of stone itself. I do not know much about them other than that they were a force to be reckoned with. It is said they were the ones to fight the dragons and bring them into extinction, before they themselves became extinct. They were the first of this land. Rumors say finally, after much fighting, either the humans or the kheshlars finally slew them all, but others tell of them abandoning this land to seek another. Still others claim that one day they disappeared. Not much is known about these people, as not much has been discovered to study, certainly not their city of origin. There are scripts found that seem to be written by them that are dated generations back. Some scripts speak of the city Brekaes Noielyna. It is strange that the kheshlars have never discovered it with how close it seems to be to Sudegam."

"I have heard small legends of the same, but they are not much spoken of. Most who speak of it are punished by our king," Starlyn said.

"Most?" Karceoles asked, rubbing his brow before taking his pipe in his mouth once more. "And the rest? Strangely disappeared?"

"Yes," Starlyn said.

"Most interesting," Karceoles said with another puff of his pipe.

"Is this place safe?" Searon asked.

"I would assume so, though we should keep one eye open through the night to be sure," Karceoles answered.

"Good enough for me; let's explore the city some and settle at that palace where we can keep an eye on it all."

"Searon..." Karceoles whispered.

"Yes?"

"How did you happen to stumble upon this place?"

"I caught something in the air. It smelled like...granite...and...marble mixed in the air. I found it a strange scent to be in the middle of the forest, and so I followed the scent."

Starlyn stared at him wide eyed and glanced from him to the wizard awkwardly. Karceoles's eyebrows simply raised, and he nodded. Andron's mouth hung open wide, and he had to push it closed before shaking his head.