A Big Shiny Blue Marble Ch. 08

She removed the items which she'd bought and threw down some silver as she scooped up two coils of rope. She smiled, "A pleasant evening to you."

They rode up and down several back streets before leaving town. Cha'Khah muttered curses under her breath the whole way. By the time that they reached the place where Sariel's parents waited, she'd almost calmed down.

"I'm sorry if I did something wrong," the boy said to her later as they staked their mounts.

Cha'Khah paused, as though counting to ten before she answered. "I have been fighting myself, drowling. I do not know whether to show you my displeasure at coming after me, or my excitement at what I bought. Here," she said, "Stow these in your pack. I will teach you what can be done with a good rope later. Let us get the fire started for the light meal tonight.

If nothing troubles us tonight – no foolish hoods or long-dead ghosts, we will be safe at home tomorrow. The blame here is mine, Sariel. I should have told you that you were not to follow me. Your spell was well-done, so I must thank you. Perhaps no one knows it, other than Vadren, but your spell likely saved their lives. I would have just killed them all and hidden their bodies before I stole the wagon and kept my gold."

They began to walk and Sariel looked up, "Are you saying that you would have stolen the wagon?"

Cha'Khah chuckled as she tousled his hair and caressed his ear as they went, "Why do you think that I went back, to buy some trinkets? I wish to travel in some comfort now on a good seat. This business of riding these beasts will surely wear my poor bottom away soon."

"But," Sariel objected, "that's stealing."

"It is," she smiled, "and stealing is wrong, Sariel. A pity that the trader didn't think as you do. The wagon and the horse bore the marks of a farmer's name. He likely lies dead somewhere while his animal and wagon serve a low trader who would have killed me and taken my gold just a quickly, if I were like the females where he is from. Those three humans were not there to help the sale, sweet one. The true game there was robbery."

Sariel looked perplexed as they walked.

"You do not see it, do you?" She asked.

"No," the boy answered.

"There is no shame in it, "she smiled, "that is why you have me, to teach you what may not be plain. It is played thusly: the trader stands with his wares - and most of what was there was not worth a look if one knows what they see.

An interested person may come by, having heard of the the seeming magic of how the Drow fight and travel without being seen. While he looks, if there is no one to see, the three men rob him at knife point. He will be quiet and hold still for it, thinking to get away with his life, but a blade through the middle of one's back only causes one to gasp and not cry out.

Before he is even dead, he goes into the back of the wagon behind the seat and he is covered, and the show is ready to begin again. The bodies are thrown out later. I know the game, and I saw one boot under the seat already. That trader had no wish to sell a thing. He traded with me because he saw that the game was up with us three there.

So you see, I must thank you,Sariel. Your coming with Vadren saved a lot of trouble, and it has bought you something," She winked, in a much better mood now.

"You are in luck," Cha'Khah grinned later after the meal, "I had not planned to buy anything from him, until I saw these," she laid her purchases out in the light of the fire. She drew back the string on the weapon and loaded one of her own bolts, one which had not been prepared with the nerve toxin which she normally used. She leveled it at a tree and fired. The bolt hit the tree with a thud almost before they heard the soft slap of the bowstring.

"Hah!" she exclaimed, "still good. I feared that I would have to rebuild it. So, here is your weapon," she said, handing it to Sariel, "I will teach you how to care for it and make it as new again. You are forbidden to even draw it until we have trained with it. This is not like the cut of a knife. If you hurt yourself or someone else by accident, we will not have time to save them. Understand?"

Sariel nodded, his eyes glued to the sidearm. Cha'Khah smirked. He was looking only at the one thing. He missed the best thing completely. She hefted the other weapon, testing the balance for a moment, before she tossed it to Vadren. "Can you remove the wards which remain here, and keep the empowerments otherwise?"

"Not likely," he said as he held it, "I can try."

"What is that?" Sariel asked, "It looks different, like it's all bent handle and not much blade."

"There is a reason for everything," she smiled, "that is not a sword, though I guess that it may be used a little like one as it is now. But that wastes its ability and the purpose for which it was forged. This weapon lives, and it can be a sword if that is what it knows is needed from it. Watch what your new friend can do if Vadren can remove the wards."

Vadren handed it back to Cha'Khah with a nod, "Try and see," he said.

"Our friend the trader must have bought this from someone who stole it from the side of the corpse that it was laid beside, the owner who no longer needs it," she said, "I know of this blade and its owner both. He was a mighty legend once. But time steals whatever greatness we gather, and it slows the mind and the arm.

I would guess that neither the thief nor the trader knew much of this or what it could do once. He would not have offered it for sale if he did. Tomorrow, we will begin to unravel the mysteries of these writings on it for you, so that you might know how powerful a new friend you have made this day."

As Sariel watched, Cha'Khah hefted the blade once more and then she set it into motion. As it swung in lazy circles, they could hear the blade humming softly. "It is made this way to strike hard, "she said, "as a chopping motion, but it is not made to be stopped where the blow lands, no, it is made to be kept in motion, once started, until there are no more foes for it to bite."

She closed her eyes and felt what came to her through her hand and arm. The blade wheeled and arced in the red firelight as she got to her feet and began what looked like a dance. "This demands much from the one who wields it," she said, "you may choose the foes to attack, or you may let this blade decide the order. I think that you would find it best to let it make the choices."

"Maybe it made the wrong choices, "Azrael suggested quietly, "and that's why he died."

She shook her head, "He died from the wounds of many arrows, and not from foes close at hand. He was found in the midst of over forty bodies. There was no one near him for this to bite anymore."

She danced and spun, the blade ringing in a low tone as it changed before their eyes, becoming similar to a sword with a drop-blade, "Like this, it can be more of a sword." Cha'Khah ran a few steps and leapt into the air.

As she rolled in midair, the blade became a ten foot pike with a long and wicked edge. When she landed, she fought imaginary opponents as though she battled a unit of cavalry. She planted the butt of the haft on the ground and vaulted a little. When she landed, the weapon was as it had been before – a short, slightly thick blade set in a long haft. She held it out to an astonished Sariel, "I give this to you. Treat it well."

He took it by the haft and when she let go, he almost dropped it.

"It's very heavy," he said, straining a little to hold it up.

"The metal runs deep into the haft. It must be heavy," she said, "or it would be worthless. You will need to carry this almost at all times to get strong enough to wield it."

She laughed softly at his expression, "It is a quiet and simple truth," she said, "that often the greatest loves are born out of a dislike at first. Carry this with you, and you will come to like it much more."

That night, as Sariel lay sleeping with his new weapon next to him, the others began to stir very quietly. Rachel hadn't noticed it at first, assuming that the others were asleep as well, but then she remembered that Drow were a type of elf and they didn't sleep like most beings. The fire had burned very low and the coals gave off almost no light anymore. That didn't matter much to either of the kinds of creatures that they all were. They could see well in darkness.

At first, she was a little shocked and embarrassed as she lay under Azrael under their blankets loving slowly. She looked over and saw that Vadren had mounted Cha'Khah from behind and her friend was smiling at her. They were fairly close by, and Cha'Khah reached out with her hand. Rachel reached as well and the pair held hands while their males serviced them. When it was over, they all went back to being sleeping forms in the darkness.

The next morning, they skipped breakfast and ate dried fruit which Vadren had bought from bags while they were on horseback moving over the incline of the foothills of the range. By lunchtime, they were in a newish forest at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, but they kept on until they reached an ancient and rusted fence which had been replaced by a stone wall, though some of the remains of the wire and the posts could still be seen here and there.

The wall and gate were warded and Vadren got them past both. Inside the wall, the ground looked much the same as it had outside – a forest, but there were small clearings here and there which had become grassed over. All of it had been paved with asphalt once, but that had weathered and cracked into ruin long before. As they rode, it became clear to Rachel that this wall was narrowing. She came to be able to see it to both sides the farther that they rode until they came to a set of stables and a paddock. Not far from that, she could see the dark opening of a passageway leading into the mountain.

"We unload our things and walk from here," Azrael said. To the questioning looks which he received from Rachel and Sariel, he smiled, "This opening is only the way to the long hall to the gates. All of it's inside, and the horses won't be much good in there. They'll be safe here."

They shouldered their packs and walked to the dark opening. "I just called it the gate – until I found the other one on the other side. Since this is the north side, I called it the north gate after that. Since then, I've found records which told me that it was known as the north portal. No matter what you call it, it's still a hike."

He opened the gated wall with a word and they stepped inside. As soon as they were in, Vadren began to mutter and chant quietly. Cha'Khah joined him after a moment.

"Just stand here for a minute to let your eyes get used to the dimness while they bring some light back into the rock," Azrael said.

"What do you mean?" Sariel asked.

"All of us can see in the darkness," Azrael said, "but Drow have a way to make the rock glow softly where they live underground. Just rest a minute and I'll close up the gate." He pointed to a pair of wheelbarrows with thick rubber tires, "Put some of your things in those. Bringing groceries is a serious undertaking here. And be careful with the eggs."

With that, they stood in darkness, but though they could see, it became more pleasant after a moment as Sariel noticed that the walls did begin to shine very dimly. It wasn't much, but it was everywhere, and that made all of the difference. Another minute, and it was as if the whole place was lit in a very low and soft light, and the long hallway which stretched out before them seemed a lot less foreboding.

Cha'Khah sighed, "I am home at last. Already I feel better."

They began to walk. Sariel was about to ask, but his father already knew that it was coming, "This hall is almost a mile long," he said, "but we are not going that far to where we live and those were not the main gates. We need to pass three gates to get inside, and there is still the main set to pass through. They're up ahead, about a third of a mile."

Rachel marveled at the walls. The hallway was long and absolutely straight with no changes to the floor level and no deviations in direction. After some minutes, they arrived at what looked to be the end of the tunnel. Azrael spoke softly and what had appeared to be plates in the smooth wall made sounds, sliding noises as locks and latches opened. With a motion from him, one door began to move rather slowly, swinging toward them.

"It takes a bit to get this moving," he smiled, "the doors are very heavy." They began to walk as soon as they had the room to pass through, and the doors began to close again behind them. The two newcomers stared around them.

"It looks like a small city," she said, looking at the buildings. The ceiling was over fifty feet high.

"This is only one part," Cha'Khah smiled, "There are two more chambers like this one, and many tunnels leading to different places. There are four underground lakes and we have little boats to cross them with if we wish."

"It was made to hold two thousand humans," Vadren said, "Even we have not found all of its secrets yet."

"Are there any windows, to see outside?" Rachel asked.

"Not in its design," Azrael said, "It was made to stand attack from their missiles, so there are no windows, but there are air vents which pass through blast valves. These may be opened, and where they exit the mountain, there are a pair of, ... balconies, though they were meant only as places for the ones who worked on everything to stand as they repaired things. I've fenced one of them over, and it's large enough for a small hen-house and a place for chickens to scratch around in. A little more work, and Sariel and I can go into town one day soon to buy a couple of hens and a rooster. For now, we keep our food fresh in metal boxes that we keep in one of the lakes, since the water there is very cold."

Sariel was a little absorbed just looking around for the moment, but he thought that the remark about chickens sounded a little ominous.

Cha'Khah smiled as she stood with her hand on his shoulder. "You may have set your hens free where you lived before," she said, "but you have not truly escaped the work of looking after chickens, have you?"

"No," he groaned, "I guess not."

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"Have you found that this thing grows lighter in your hands?" Vadren asked as he saw Sariel walking that evening, lugging the weapon that he'd been given on his way back from where he'd been told was the place to go to the bathroom.

"A little," the boy admitted, "I don't know whether it's me getting stronger or if it's trying not to be so heavy."

"Likely a bit of both," the mage smiled. "Can you hold it up long enough to point it at anything without shaking from the effort?"

"I think so, but not for too long." Sariel said.

"Let us see," Vadren said, still smiling, "See the wall there, far off? Point it there and say the spell of The Ice Dagger, but use your free hand for the motions. In a little time, you will not need the motions at all."

Sariel gripped the blade farther up its haft, closer to the balance point and he lifted the weapon. A second later, there was a flash, and with a crackling blast, a sheet of ice left the tip and slammed into the wall, shattering into many pieces which clattered and rattled across the floor. They disappeared long before they'd all come to rest.

Sariel stared, and his expression caused Vadren to laugh softly. "I think that you have found your staff, perhaps the perfect one for a fighting mage one day. Not so heavy now, is it?"

"No," Sariel laughed, "It does feel a lot lighter all of a sudden. Thank you, Vadren!" He swung the blade up so that it rested on his shoulder as he walked away with a very slight saunter to his young step.

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"You need to ask it for what you wish," Cha'Khah said as they sat around the fire on one of the balconies that evening. There was a wall there which hid the place in a bit of a grotto and Azrael had built a firepit there. It wasn't used often, since it was a bit of a pain to lug wood to, but it was nice now and then to enjoy an evening under the stars.

"This has its own life in a way," she said, "and if you wish to make the best use of it, then you must let it know who you are and what you would want from it. Be careful how you say this in your mind."

She sat right up against him, leaning over so that she could read the markings for him as he held it. Sariel had offered it to her for this purpose, but she'd shaken her head, "It must know you Sariel, and not me. That is why I force you to carry this around with you everywhere for now, why I make you take it along even as you have your bath, though not in the water. It must remain within your reach for quite a while yet.

Even so, that is why I stay near you as well. Its last owner was mighty, but he was also as cruel as the rest of our kind. I wish to be sure that none of this comes to you. He was fair, but it can never be said that he was kind. You are only a boy. It will not take control of you or anything stupid like that, but it can flavor things. While that would be perfect in a Drow city, it is not what would be wanted here. You must change this in the weapon to suit you as you are. You must show and tell it that while you seek guidance should it be needed, you have no wish for cruelty. I remind you that you wish for speed, agility and grace. A sense of what is just would not hurt you either. "

He nodded and thought about it as he felt the haft in his hands. By now, he had grown a little used to what it could send him. He's seen scenes behind his closed eyelids which were often gory, but he was learning to reject the ones that he saw where he thought that what he saw was more than fighting for survival or a need. When he saw things which looked to have been done for no reason other than to cause suffering, he pushed them away, and was offered another scene a moment later, where he saw progress through a field of opponents. He thought that this was a better goal and allowed it to play on.

He held the thing up horizontally in one hand, and it surprised them all that he could do it that easily. With little more than a thought from him, it grew in length and became a pike, causing Cha'Khah to have to lean backward as the blade of it slid past her face.

"Sorry," he apologized, and she nodded as the pike became a long-handled sword for a moment and then it was what it had always seemed to be.

"If he died, why didn't one of whatever enemy that he was fighting take the blade?" Rachel asked, "It seems to be a pretty powerful thing if it can do all of that."

"The legend that I was told said that the blade fought on for a time, even in his dead grip. After he finally fell, the blade killed many more. As soon as anyone tried to touch it, it slew them out of its rage. But this had passed by the next day. When he was laid to rest by the last of the survivors, the blade allowed it. I think that it sought for a new owner for itself, "Chakhah said, "or it would still lie by its owner's side and the grave robber would be there as well.

That is what came to me as soon as I saw it. There is no evil to it, only a hunger that it does not wait forever in the dark. In Sariel's hands, this honorable thing may now find a little joy and not always emptiness, for this is no ordinary object. It carries a little of its maker still. He was a boy himself once, though a Drow. I think it seeks to relive that in this one's hands; new roads to travel and all of that."

"Know one thing," Vadren said, "This was the weapon of a high warrior who was a sorcerer as well. Think before you use it to cast and never, ever, use it as a plaything, Sariel, or you risk great grief. Never swing it at anything or anyone who you do not wish to destroy. You might be a little short on your reach on purpose as you swing, but this can misinterpret and cause your swing to be completed more successfully than you would have ever meant.