Journey to the Land of Diamond Fire

© 2011 Janet Cesanek. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/05/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5510-2 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5512-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5511-9 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011904364

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 1

37893.jpg T WAS A NEAR PERFECT day for hunting as Valkrye made her way silently through the forest. This particular area that she was now traveling in always had a large amount of game in it, ranging from small birds to deer, but the thick foliage still added a challenge for obtaining one’s meal. Valkrye was alone except for her three year old cat, Luna. She had been taught many years ago by a traveling mystic that anyone may communicate with animals if their minds were opened enough and he also taught her the advantage of having a closely bonded animal, or familiar as some people called them. They were well worth the months of training it had taken to learn the skill.

A little over three years ago, while Valkrye was visiting a market, she ran into her old teacher who had made a gift of Luna before they had parted ways. Myron the mystic, as he was known to some, was disappointed that someone he considered very talented still didn’t have her own familiar. When she told him that she simply hadn’t found an animal that she had taken to yet, he led her behind his tent where he had several cats, a mother and her seven kittens.

I would like you to pick one if you see one you like. They are all healthy and smart, and ready to leave their mother. I need to sell the rest of them before I head north to the larger cities. There won’t be any good places for me to keep all of them and I must concentrate on my teachings. A slight smile came over his old face. Besides, my magic spells tend to scare the younger animals. As he watched her study the cats he chimed in. I have often thought that a cat would be the best animal for you anyway, they are smart and excellent hunters and they also know when to be quiet, an excellent match for you. She smiled as she petted one animal, and then her attention seemed to be drawn to the only solid black kitten, she lifted the purring cat and Myron was pleased by her choice.

Ah now, that is a kitten for a warrior. She is quite clever for her young age. I am sure that she will be a true friend. As Myron looked toward the sky and saw he was running out of daylight he smiled to his student and said in parting. Remember what I have taught you over the years. Mayhap our paths will cross again another day. Also remember my crystals will always tell me when a friend needs my help. She smiled as she bowed her head to her teacher.

"The gods steer our lives down many paths. I don’t think that it would be out of the realm of possibility that we meet again. I wish you good traveling and safety.’

After their good-byes three years ago, Valkrye hadn’t gone very far from her own village so she hadn’t seen Myron since then, but he had been right about Luna. She had proved many times to be a good companion and helped when Valkrye went hunting. Luna could scare game birds into the air or show which direction a larger animal was. In fact at that moment they were so engrossed in trying to find something suitable for her family’s evening meal that they didn’t notice the first trails of smoke which were rising above the tree tops. She did see it however, when she aimed her bow at a duck in flight and saw how the smoke was getting heavier by the second, and she could also see it was coming from the direction of her village. She ran as fast as she could, Luna following close behind her.

When she got to the outskirts of the town the first thing she saw were parts of the small stone fence that had been knocked down by horses. Then she saw three guards who were killed before they could do anything about the sudden attack. She then heard the screams of a young girl and saw her about ten yards away. She was a young cooking helper of about fourteen winters, and she was being dragged onto a man’s horse. Valkrye wasted no time in aiming her bow at the upper chest area of the man, hoping that the girl wouldn’t jump in the way while trying to get off the horse, but it was a chance she had to take. Letting the arrow fly, the man was hit in the right shoulder, which succeeded in helping the girl get free, but the man didn’t lose his seat.

Blast the luck of the bastard. Valkrye muttered as she slung her bow over her shoulder and drew her sword. By this time most of the attackers had already left the village or were on their way out. The man that she had wounded had a falcon attached to a perch on the front of his saddle. He had lost reasonable thought when he realized that he could barely move his sword arm, he then tore the mask off the bird’s head and grabbed it, and then tossed it to attack Valkrye. She quickly grabbed a shield that someone had dropped to protect her face from its claws. Just as the bird hit the shield, Luna jumped up from behind Valkrye and slashed at the large bird’s head. Even though it would have been a close fight, the falcon was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a natural enemy and flew off in the direction that its owner had gone.

Valkrye watched with thoughts of pursuing the invaders but she knew she should check on her family and friends to see how much damage the attackers had made. She found her parents a short time later. Her father was helping to put out a hut that was set on fire by one of the invaders. Her mother was tending to a burn wound on the leg of the man who barely escaped the fire in the hut. Valkrye’s mother, Ursula, was a middle-aged woman who was the healer of the village. She had the same strawberry blond hair as her daughter except it was a bit darker with age. Her mother noticed her approach and motioned for her to come near,

Were you able to stop any of them? her mother seemed overly concerned. It was not the way of the village guards to take prisoners; they either killed them or drove them away from the boundaries of the village. It seemed to Valkrye, as she watched her mother bind the man’s wound, that she actually hoped that she had stopped some of them instead of driving them off.

I wounded one of them in the shoulder, but he was able to get away. Was anyone besides the gate men killed? Ursula shook her head.

Several wounded but none worse than old Gus here. She nodded toward his two sons who helped him up and brought him to their hut so he could lay down and rest. She motioned towards the wrappings on the man’s leg as he walked away for her daughter to look at him. They didn’t come here to kill, they took what they wanted and left as fast as they came.

And what was that? Valkrye asked with concern in her voice. She knew their village had little that others would deem of value.

The sacred icon. Her father’s voice came from behind them. They went straight for the temple and left with all the valuables we had. She watched her father wipe dirt from his sword on his pants leg. She could also see the leashed anger and frustration on his face as he slammed the sword back into its scabbard. His fighting skills had dwindled in the past several years since he was hurt trying to collect the horses that had stampeded during a fire. He had been kicked in the back just as he had one of the horses tethered. Valkrye could understand how hard it must be for a warrior to slow down and just try to farm the land and take care of the village.

The holy man was shaken up pretty badly since he was the only one in the temple. Her father was pacing as he spoke. He has asked to see you Val. She nodded and started in the direction of the temple, but her father’s hand on her arm stayed her. You do know that the village won’t survive without the icon, don’t you? Valkrye met his eyes but was unable to answer him. Even though she was faithful to their religion, she didn’t fully accept the importance of the sacred objects they kept in the temple. She lowered her eyes and pulled from her father’s grip and headed for the holy man’s hut. She rapped on the door and heard a faint

Enter. From inside. She entered slowly and looked around the small hut. The first thing she saw was the man’s wife, Dessa, running back and forth trying to make things comfortable for him and making new cloths for changing his wounds. Dessa timidly came up to Valkrye when she saw her and asked.

Could you please try to get him to rest my child? I worry he won’t heal if he doesn’t sleep soon. Valkrye smiled down from her tall height and patted her shoulder.

I’ll do my best, but your husband is very stubborn when he wants something done and I’m sure that’s why he wanted to see me. She watched the man’s eyes as she went over to him and knew from experience that he did indeed want her to do his bidding, she was used to that look; she had seen it many times when her father was in charge of protecting the village as she was now. She also had to admit to herself there was no way you could refuse a request from the holy man who was called ‘your grace’ except for those in his family.

How are you feeling your grace? Valkrye asked as she sat on a stool near the bed. He looked very tired as he looked toward her. His hair looked a little grayer and his eyes a little more sunken.

You heard what happened at the temple I am sure. She nodded. I know how you feel about some of our beliefs, but I know you take your duties to the village seriously. He closed his eyes showing how tired he was before he continued. Without any hesitation he asked succinctly. Will you go? she took a deep sigh.

I know that it is my job, but do you at least have any idea of which way they went, or of what clan they are from? It would help if I had something to go on besides knowing what they took. The holy man nodded.

I know, I wish I could give you more than what I know. I heard some of them say ‘In the name of Scorri.’ And someone dropped his cloak with a symbol on it. It is on the table near the door, that is all I can tell you, for it is all that I know. Valkrye could tell that he was getting upset and didn’t want him to waste his energy on overreacting.

Don’t worry, it is a start, I’m sure I could find out more. You know I always find allies when I travel, and I know someone will have seen the direction that they went. Now I promise to leave right away if you promise to rest and do as your good wife and my mother say. I’ll make sure she checks in on you. She paused. Are we agreed then, your grace? He smiled and closed his eyes and was asleep in moments. Valkrye turned to Dessa. Make sure he rests, I have a feeling this will take time, mayhap a few months or more. At Dessa’s worried look she put up her hand. Don’t worry, I remember enough of my teachings to know that the evil foretold about is supposed to come if the icon is gone for six moon cycles, with stronger warnings coming with every cycle leading up to the last one. It won’t take me that long. She said it and she meant it, she would never allow these invaders to lead her on a chase any longer than that. Besides, the large number of them and the planned attack meant they were not wanderers they had their own village or town and she meant to find it. She took the cloak the holy man had told her about as she walked out of the door.

The first person she went to speak with was her father. Bergarr was helping to repair the doors of the wall that had been torn down in the attack. He saw his daughter approaching and stopped his work and went to meet her. He wanted to know when she would be leaving, since he knew that was what the holy man wanted.

You will journey today? He asked in a knowing tone. She gave a small smile.

Yes, in a couple of hours at the most. Just long enough to pack supplies and be sure of which path they took. She looked at Ursula who was tending a young lad who had burned himself while helping put out the fires. All of which were now out. You will watch over mother while I am gone? She does tend to work too hard at times. Bergarr smiled at his tall proud daughter.

You know I will, you also know I feel bad that we had no sons and the responsibility of protecting the village fell to you. You shouldn’t have to journey so much. Valkrye smiled so that her father couldn’t see her, she was used to the common phrase and knew he said it because he would much rather go himself, whether she was a man or a woman, and whether or not he had ten sons for that matter.

It’s just as well father since I have no hand at sewing or cooking and certainly not at healing like mother. Besides I haven’t traveled anywhere except the next town for over three years, as well you know. Don’t worry, I’ll take as little time as I can, and I have Luna with me, and other animals always show signs when large groups of people have gone past. Also, a group that large can’t be that far away, especially when they knew what they were after. You know very few outsiders know about our temple or that we even have one. I’ll ask in the town across the bridge if any strangers were asking questions about any of the villages, or if any others have been plundered. Her father nodded his head as he watched the others of the village going about cleaning and repairing. He did feel rather useless at times, when he remembered the fighter that he had been in his youth, but that was in the past, he kept telling himself. He had duties in the village now.

I do wish I could accompany you. I wish you safety and a fast return; the village won’t seem the same without you. She hugged him and said.

The village needs someone like you to watch over them and help guide them, I best get ready. She said the last quickly so that her father wouldn’t start to get all emotional over the situation. With that she went to her hut and was glad to see that it was far enough away from the temple that it was undamaged. She made sure she had her weapons first, her sword, bow and arrows, four daggers and her walking staff, which was also a good weapon at times.

She also packed some dry meat and cheeses and two skins of water and one of wine. She also took her fur-lined cloak, which reached her ankles and provided good protection from the cold and also repelled water when it rained. Luna had already found her way back to the hut and was sitting on the edge of her pallet cleaning the smoke from her fur. The pallet was there just for Luna since Valkrye had her own elaborately carved oak bed, made by a friend in the town near the river. All the furnishings in Valkrye’s hut were made for luxury; everything had been gotten from her journeys or from friends who were tradesmen. She had a passion for rare things, things that couldn’t be made or obtained in her village.

When she had everything that she needed in her packs, she went around the village to see the damage for herself and to talk to people who might have seen something to help her when she left. She found two young boys who were climbing trees when the raiders left and saw them take the northwest path. That was a good enough start for her. She had looked around to see if they had left any other clues that she could use to help her identify them, but the cloak was all that she had.

After saying goodbye to her mother and asking her to look after the holy man, she left her normally peaceful town, with Luna following behind, on a trek to try to restore the peace by returning what was taken from them. She looked at the position of the sun and saw that she had a good amount of daylight left for today and started for the path to the northwest.

By early evening, Valkrye had gone about five miles before she decided to see what game was around. She soon caught two small rabbits; she had them cleaned and a fire going in almost no time. As she and Luna ate the food, she was thinking about the first town she would come upon, which was between two to three hours travel more from here, on foot at least. If she had a horse she would have been there by now, but her village only had three large workhorses due to the lack of stable room. Since the stampede that hurt and almost killed her father and several others years ago, the elders decided that a large out of the wall stable wasn’t worth maintaining. So only three were kept in a small area inside and used mainly for plowing the field and carting supplies from longer distances. Since they were very large and bulky and couldn’t be used for speed or great distances, Valkrye decided not to take one. If a quick get away was needed, she would have a better chance eluding them on foot than on a horse that could be easily outrun. She also knew of several bridges that the horse’s great hooves would either get stuck in the planks or break through altogether.

After she finished eating, she took out her book of poetry and started to read. Reading was very relaxing to her and she figured that she would need to relax for her coming duties. After a short while she got tired and decided she would sleep now and take advantage of the early light of the summertime. She knew this area and felt secure that there were no dangers around, besides what she didn’t hear, Luna would and would wake her with her with growling or hissing. Listening to the gentle wind, she soon fell asleep.

The dawn broke clear and warm as Valkrye woke up. She walked over to a nearby stream to wash up and get a fresh drink before she left. Once she got started, the day seemed to heat up rather quickly. Soon after she began walking, she saw a traveling baker with his cartload of breads and cakes. When she caught up to him, she bought a loaf of the dark bread and walked with him for a short time as she ate. Eventually she asked him if he knew anything about a pack of raiders which passed through yesterday.

Well I haven’t seen them myself; I guess I have been lucky. The short stocky man was saying. But I have heard rumors from other people in the area. They have attacked a lot of places from what has been said. They seem to be heading north but they have veered from their path if they think there is anything of value around. The last thing I have heard was that they attacked the town of Corla, about thirty miles south of here. Valkrye gave him a look that suggested that she didn’t quite believe his story, since the city was so far from where he would travel with his pushcart. Well I know it seems hard to believe, but some guy on a horse came tearing through the towns last night looking for some type of medicine person to save their leader, it seems he was hurt pretty badly. Valkrye thought to herself for awhile as they kept walking before she answered.

Well, what I want is to find where they go after they are done with the looting. They have to have a home somewhere. The baker looked her up and down before he said.

Why would a nice young girl like you want to find those thugs? From the stories I have heard, they are evil with female captives. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she answered.

They took something from my village that I must return. It is as simple as that. I should get to the next town in an hour or so. I wish you a good journey friend. The man shook his head as he watched her walk ahead of him and wondered how a young woman like that would survive suck a task. He shrugged his shoulders and muttered something to himself about it being none of his concern. Mayhap that would clear his conscience for not trying harder to stop her, but he doubted it.

Chapter 2

37861.jpg HE TOWN OF PORTSVILLE WAS aptly named, set on the large river of Finway, it had several well-maintained docks. The majority of income for the town was from fishing and traders who also came by way of the river. The city was alive with activity, but it was also very well guarded. So much so that Valkrye doubted that they were even considered for attack by the band of raiders. The invaders would have had to approach in the open, something no attacker wants; since the town would be ready for them by the time they reached the gates.

Amid all the ongoing activity, watching for familiar faces was Valkrye, sitting under a tree near the center of town. As she watched the people going about their daily chores, she was wondering if she should get a room at one of the inns. She never really liked the places; most people went there to drink in the saloon downstairs, rather than to rent a room. Still she knew a lot of people here and could probably learn more if she stayed and listened to the town gossip.

Luna was playing around the tree, chasing leaves blowing in the wind. Looking to the west, Valkrye could see thick dark clouds gathering on the horizon, and she also saw a large amount of sea birds piling up away from the shore, so she knew that by nightfall a storm would hit. A sigh escaped her as she realized that she should take advantage of shelter while she had it. She didn’t know how long it would take her on foot to get to the other towns or sheltered coves down the road.

She got up and stretched and then started for one of the inns, holding Luna in one arm. Innkeepers never bothered her about her cat, since other patrons brought all sorts of other animals from hunting birds to dogs, so cats seemed very mild if they were at least kept under control by the owner. She went up to the bar in the dark establishment, to speak to the innkeeper. At least this was an inn where she knew the man who ran it and knew that he was a good sort of person. Alexander, who owned as well as ran the inn, was a middle-aged man whose round belly spoke of the well-cooked meals that his wide had made for him during the past years, after all a belly like his couldn’t be gained overnight. He was also a very jolly type of man, and always seemed to be smiling as he was now.

Well, well Val, it has been quite awhile since I’ve seen your face here. How would you like Eva to fix a steak for you?

Sure Alex. Valkrye answered, as she took into account who there was in the room. I also need a room for a night or two. Alex’s eyes looked surprised.

Val you, staying in town past sundown? She nodded