ANDARIS
Four moons and three tens since the Mark of the Other One blossomed.
"So what does that make you? By the looks of it you live here." Sethian immediately retorted and crossed her arms.
"Just passing by." The handsome man mused. "Old memories are hard to be rid of. But never mind about me. I see an imperial battlemage, what I suppose is a roaming healer, a farm girl and a ... uh... someone at the place you would least expect them to be. My name is Gillian. I suppose you could call me an archaeologist or an adventurer or both."
"Why is an archaeologist wearing such fancy armour and weapons?" The mage sounded unhappy.
Andaris had completely frozen. The man had black curly hair, a perfect full beard, eyes so bright and green you could not mistake their colour at any distance. He did not belong here. The leather jacket the man wore looked suspiciously heavy. There were a few fancy rings and bracelets on his left hand.
"Because of the adventure part." The man crossed his arms and did not elaborate further.
"Apologies for my colleague. My name is Cynric, I carry an imperial mandate for the greater Shadowwatch-Northwatch county. The mage's name is Sethian, and this is Layla. The man over there is Andaris. We had time on our journey and we wandered off the track out of curiosity."
"You must be like me then. That is some thirst for adventure if curiosity brought you two days off the major roads. You do not see roaming healers every day. Usually you lot settle down somewhere with good access to surrounding areas."
Andaris looked around in confusion. Despite the pleasant flow of this conversation, there something wary in the handsome man's eyes.
Andaris glanced at the battlemage for the briefest of moments and her eyes bulged as their gazes crossed. A sudden urgency spread throughout his body. Andaris' left hand twitched and looking back at the man he could see his eyes narrowing.
"We are on our way to the western reaches. My mandate ended, so I am going home. My friends are coming with me." Cynric explained.
"Western reaches?" The man raised an eyebrow. Somehow, that brief expression looked familiar. The handsome man looked different from the mages and the girl. "Not Ironcourt?"
"Not these days. Not with the unrest. We thought it best to find a place where we will not run into trouble." Cynric explained.
-Oh, no.- A thought that was not Andaris' entered his head. He was pulled into the world of oceans and something flashed on the surface. A memory of the guardian.
-What that?- He immediately demanded.
"You are not afraid of the war?" The handsome man inquired.
"War?" The mage snorted this time.
-Show it me!- Andaris raged. The guardian said nothing and tried to vanish. He would not let her. Not this time. Even if it meant hurting the woman.
-Run!- She whimpered. A vivid memory flashed on the water's surface.
The handsome man could do nothing but stare, as she and her five brothers and sisters activated the final nexus on the voidstone. The man was absolutely enraged, his expression twisted beyond recognition.
-That being ages past. That was in city!- Andaris realised.
-Yes! That was in Yalthar. There is no time to explain, run! He is trouble.- The guardian urged.
YOU ARE READING
Beyond the Void
FantasiA dreary age has lasted far too long and torpor has seeped deep into the hearts across the continent of Tavran. All races pray for change and golden ages of the past but they have no strength to bring it about. Neither does anyone have the strength...
