Ecliptica Page 3

  Luciar was laid to rest under the silver leaf tree at the heart of the city. Not long after, rumours began to spread about her death. Some even believed that some form of human trickery was at work. Despite all this, Tre’larr felt no anger or pain. He just simply…was. Nethalie, on the other hand, was devastated at her mother’s death and was, for a long while, inconsolable. Her grandmother seemed to be the only one able to get through to the girl and calm her.

  Not two days had passed since the burial of Luciar, Nethalie was sitting drained by grief, with her grandmother in her house when Tre’larr appeared. The elderly elf was reading Nethalie passages from the book of A’tharis, of the days of Great Dragons and grand magic. Tre’larr stood in the doorway to the room, watching his daughter. The tale was of the days when the dragons triumphed over evil and the sadness of the Elves when the last free dragon fell. As the stories ended and a tired Nethalie made her way to bed, Tre’larr stopped her and knelt beside her.

  “I have a gift for you,” he whispered.

  Raising his right hand slowly and uncurling his fingers, a delicate chain fell and hung in the air. At the end was a small medallion, beautifully crafted in the shape of a golden leaf, with a polished jet black stone at its heart. Carved on the centre of the stone, was a solitary symbol.

  “This belonged to your mother. I know she would have wanted you to have it.”

  Gently he clasped the chain around Nathalie’s neck. The warmth of the metal felt almost like the soothing fingers of her mother’s hand. Nethalie hugged her father lightly.

  “Thank you,” she whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek, before quickly disappearing into her room.

  A few days later, at a request from the Elder Council, Tre’larr and Nethalie left Re’ashar for Port Gol. The whisperings of human trickery surrounding Luciar’s death had grown stronger and the safety of a human and his half human child could not be guaranteed.

  Dark murmurings in the night began plaguing Tre’larr’s dreams and he would often wake in a cold sweat, but have no memory of what he had dreamt. Nethalie had noticed her father’s waking in the night, but said nothing to him, for her dreams were no more pleasant.

  Port Gol had welcomed the pair back with open arms. Upon arrival they had quickly fallen back into the routine of running the shop which, to Nethalie, felt like more than a lifetime ago. At first only trinkets and general wares passed through the shop. In time, however, more unusual items, or ‘peculiarities’ as Nethalie had called them, began to arrive. Some pieces in the shop were from the Old Kingdoms that Tre’larr had uncovered in his past travels. Nethalie studied all the parchments and tomes that found their way onto the shelves in the back room. Some were her mother’s, some her father’s and many were from travellers passing through looking for a quick sale. Nethalie was very interested in the dragons and magic and could often be found, mid-trade with a merchant, suddenly deep in discussion about dragon flame or the Elves. Over the next four years the little shop grew in both size and reputation, with many interesting and unusual objects finding their way into the shop.

  One rather memorable hot summer day, a well travelled man had entered, carrying a large pack. He gave no name, but offered the entire contents of the pack for a reasonable fee. The items had been procured, legally he added, but he was short on levens and his wife was expecting their second child soon. Tre’larr had emptied the pack out and examined the contents briefly, his well trained eye instantly spotting what was worthless and what was not. After a short session of bartering, the man had hurriedly left with two hundred levens. Nethalie had been left to note down what was taken in and attach a sale value to each item. It was then she had noticed the small silver puzzle piece mixed in with a handful of necklaces. She turned it over in her hands; the oddly shaped piece of silver was interesting, but certainly nothing special to her eye. So she gave it a value and set it on the new arrivals shelf for her father to sort at a later date. There it had sat, slowly gathering dust over the following months, until one day, it attracted some unwelcome interest.

  ~ 4 ~

  THUMP!

  Zeek chuckled as, for the sixth time in a row, Drake fell to the mossy ground with a grunt.

  “Youngling, I did warn you that self-levitation would not be wise”, spoke Zeek, promptly followed by another deep chuckle.

  “Look…if I can get a stone to float, a log to float and even a field mouse…then I don’t see why I can’t make myself float. And what is so funny?”

  “An inward focus and awareness of one’s own body takes great skill and practice to master, though I am impressed as to how well you are doing thus far. As for the source of my continued amusement, you seem to be insistent on repeatedly landing on your food.”

  Drake stood slowly, now all too aware of the broken bread and dozen squashed someli fruits that had been cushioning his falls back to earth. He had been so focused on his task; he had not remembered the food.

  “…not funny..,” Drake sighed as he began to peel the fruit from the back of his legs, “you could have warned me.”

  “Let that be a valuable lesson to you. The use of magic requires you to be aware of your surroundings at all times, not just the flow of magic. I will not always be around to warn you.”

  Drake looked down at the squashed food that was to be his mid-afternoon snack.

  “I guess that there is more to this magic than I thought.”

  In the four months that had passed since Drake had fallen into the catacombs; Zeek had been training and tutoring him in every spare moment. The lessons had covered a great deal of Zeek’s current knowledge. As the lessons had passed swiftly, so too had the distance they travelled. They had recovered three pieces of the Ecliptica so far. The most recent of which had been from Port Gol and was by no means the most difficult. The girl and the shop had reminded Drake of days that felt far distant in his past, of avoiding the Blackbird and using sleight of hand to acquire things. Drake had enjoyed the rush of the chase and using his skills to blend into a crowd again. Magic was all well and good, but sometimes a much more simple approach could be useful.

  Zeek had not been happy about the method upon which Drake had decided to use to collect the piece, but had agreed that they had far too little currency to offer in exchange. Zeek had been caught off-guard at the sight of the half-elf girl. Some distant memory, not yet in reach, had stirred within him.

  Retrieving the pieces of Ecliptica had granted Zeek access to memories of his former life, as well as spells and knowledge. The additional pieces had also meant an increase in the strength of the link between the pair. Zeek could, with Drake’s agreement, see through his eyes and hear what he heard. Though it had taken some time to learn, it had been most useful in finding the Ecliptica pieces.

  The path to finding the remaining pieces, would not be as simple as the path already travelled. The first three had been easy to find; a trader having the first as a weight for his parchments, the second was being worn as a necklace by an elderly woman who was happy to trade it for a few days help with some chores. Finally, the third and most recent piece had been at a trading shop in Port Gol just a few days prior. Drake smiled to himself as he recounted their journey so far.

  “Do not believe that the rest will be so easy to find and retrieve youngling. I believe that one piece is with the Elves in Re’ashar and at least one of the other pieces is in the realm of the Shadows.”

  “Surely the Elves will be happy to give the piece back? After all, they do still remember you, don’t they?”

  “That may be true; it may also be too long forgotten. The fact that you will be acting as my voice may also lead to some greater…persuasion…being needed.”

  “What are you trying to say, that they won’t trust me? How could they not trust this face?” Drake motioned to his face and adopted his most charming smile.

  “My point exactly, young Drake. One so wise in the ways of magic for his years, yet so unwise in its use,” His thoughts returning to the crushed fo
od.

  “I see your point,” Drake looked dissolutely at the food, as his stomach grumbled. “I also remember why we stopped in the first place,” he said with a more cheery tone, as he sat and ate.

  . . .

  Dusk came swiftly that evening; fireflies littered the clear night’s sky, almost dulling out the light from the stars. A fire spat and crackled in the field where Drake and Zeek had stopped earlier that day. Laid out in the grass, Drake sat with Zeek’s Ecliptica pieces beside him. The silver core sparkled and shone in the firelight, the rubies burning brighter than the core of the fire whose light they reflected. Drake’s eyes shone in the night, picking out details of their surroundings that no ordinary human eyes could see. His eyes snapped to a group of wild hares playing in the safety of the darkness. Drake could feel how Zeek longed to hunt, to feel the thrill of the chase. He smiled as his thoughts lingered with Zeek’s.

  “Still a dragon at heart,” he whispered to himself. Zeek’s attention was not broken from the frolicking hares.

  Wrapping up the Ecliptica and putting the three pieces back into their pouch, Drake returned them all to the deep hidden pocket of his long-coat. Even the Blackbird officers who had searched him had never found his inner pockets. Smiling again at his own cunning he closed his eyes and gently drifted into sleep.

  ~ 5 ~

  A loud clatter woke Nethalie. It came from the front of the shop. Her eyes snapped open, her keen ears barely picking up the padding of shoes. The metal rolling of a bowl on the ground motivated her feet out of bed to meet the cool stone floor. She slipped quietly into the front of the shop, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, the moonlight that crept through the small window making little difference to the gloom. Standing in the centre of the shop, she listened, and heard nothing.

  ‘Must have been a mouse,’ she thought to herself. She strained her ears harder to make sure. Still she heard nothing…

  She turned to leave when she most definitely felt something. A sharp pain shot through her shin. Was that a boot!?

  “Ahh hmm,” a voice coughed.

  Nethalie looked quickly left and then right, searching for the source of the cough and the boot.

  “Perfect, another rude one,” the voice said, followed by delivering a second swift kick to the other shin.

  “Oww…stop that!” Nethalie cried.

  “Down here, you pointy eared..,” a voice cut off mid insult, seemingly caught out by Nethalie’s mixed parentage.

  Looking down at last, Nethalie was greeted by a pair of big, bright sunflower coloured eyes. The eyes were at almost half her own height, which seemed odd; ‘perhaps a young child breaking in to steal?’ she thought. Nothing more could be seen in the dark of the night.

  “That’s a bit better. I suppose if I had aimed my kicks at your knees you would have come down to my level, but it’s a start. I am Rossa, and you…have a very nice shop.”

  “Thank you. It is rather isn’t…hang on. Who in E’zara’s name are you?!” Nethalie asked.

  “You mean my reputation does not precede me. I’m sure you must have heard of the thief in the night?” Rossa said, with a degree of pride.

  “Oh no. You mean you’re that Rossa?”

  “So you have heard of me! I knew it!” Rossa beamed.

  “…no not really.” Nethalie grinned, enjoying mocking this strange person in her shop, despite the unusual hour.

  “I think perhaps you have, but you are intimidated by my presence,” Rossa replied coyly.

  “Certainly not by your stature,” Nethalie retorted trying not to laugh too much.

  “Kicking your shins is not my only skill you know. I have other talents, along with other reasons for being in this little shop of yours.”

  “Then what, pray tell, are you doing in our shop in the middle of the night?” Nethalie asked, hoping this time to get some kind of straight answer.

  “The reason is..,” Rossa said, closing her eyes and fading into the darkness. Nethalie blinked hard and scoured the shop as silence followed for a brief time, “I know what that delightful young man took from your shop,” Rossa finished smugly, checking her fingernails as she sat atop a stack of shelves on the far side.

  “I don’t know what you think you know, but I don’t know what you’re talking about”. Nethalie’s gaze was trained on Rossa, watching and listening for any further signs of trickery. Rossa’s eyes and a faint silhouette was all that could be seen.

  “Oh really. Well I think he was a bit of alright, nice tight…belt,” Rossa replied in a mischievous tone. “Those quick fingers of his managed to pick up a very nice item of yours. A small silver piece. Now…if you were as smart as me, you would have found out by now that it was a piece of…”

  “The Ecliptica,” Nethalie finished.

  “Ah ha, we may have some hope for you yet!” Rossa’s eyes glittered with delight. Jumping down from her spot on the shelf, she landed silently next to Nethalie.

  “Since there is something rattling around between those ears of yours, allow me to properly introduce myself.”

  Nethalie heard a snap of fingers and all of a sudden the candles burst into life. Before her stood the strangest creature she had ever seen, not a dwarf, or elf, or pixie.

  “Rossa Lunabelle of the Lunabelle family and before we get to that all important awkward question, I, am a Bluecap.”

  Nethalie stood in silence for a few moments before collecting herself. “I thought Bluecaps lived in mines and were little blue faeries?” she spoke bluntly.

  “Meet faeries often do you?” Rossa replied tartly. “The light show is just something we do for fun. Watching those miners faces as we appear to them is always a bit of a giggle.” Rossa was beaming at Nethalie, but there was a hint of bitterness in her eyes that people found blue caps to be sweet or surprising and not as real people.

  Rossa stood just under four feet tall, though from her attitude you would think it was more like twenty feet. She was a very attractive young woman, or at least Nethalie assumed she was young. A full sweep of dark brown hair fell to her waist, tucked behind delicate ears. A broad smile stretched across her face, below a little rounded nose. She was dressed in crimson coloured travelling slacks, with an open collared white shirt, dusty travel satchel and green laced boots.

  Nethalie looked back up to meet Rossa’s eyes “When you’re quite finished giving me the eye..,” she said winking. It was only then that Nethalie realized she had been staring. Feeling her cheeks warm, she turned away slightly.

  “So, what are you doing in our shop? Looking for something in particular?”

  “In this trinket store? I’ll admit it’s not my usual haunt for a good night out, however, you did have that beautiful piece of Ecliptica,” she sighed. “I was obviously beaten to the prize.”

  Determined not loose her cool and try to find out just how much Rossa knew, Nethalie turned sharply back to face Rossa.

  “Well, as you know, it was stolen by some boy. I didn’t know what it was he had taken until yesterday.”

  “It’s a shame you couldn’t catch him. Neither could I,” said Rossa ruefully. “Still, together I think we could catch up with him and get the piece back, then find the others. You look like you could use an adventure. I certainly couldn’t live in this place, I can almost feel the allergies setting in with all this dust on the shelves,” she said, tapping a jug.

  “WHAT ON?!...who in E’zara’s name is this? It’s a bit late for guests Nethalie.”

  Without the pair noticing, Tre’larr had appeared in the archway into the back of the shop.

  “Rossa Lunabelle, your Grace,” Rossa said, bending into an elaborate bow.

  “This is a traders’ store, not the Palace Inn, girl. Or have we secretly been running a new business on the side Nethalie?”

  “Rossa is a friend, I’m sure you remember I mentioned her once or twice,” Nethalie covered, still wanting to find out more about the Ecliptica. “We were discussing the idea of a short trip to see the souther
n cities”.

  “I’m sure that I would have remembered a Bluecap? Why on earth did you wait until this time of night to come to our shop and plan some kind of excursion? Are you allergic to the sun?”

  “Most certainly not,” Rossa replied grinning broadly, “I find there is far more to see at night and I am always on the lookout for interesting things”.

  “Well since your friend is here and has woken me, she may as well stay. I’m assuming you don’t have somewhere nearby to spend the night, do you? Just get any mess cleared up and then to bed with you both.”

  Nethalie watched in disbelief as Rossa bowed again.

  “Just be sure to keep the noise down” and with that, he spun on his heel and returned to his room, extinguishing torches as he passed.

  “Time to clear up and hit the sack then. We have a long day ahead tomorrow,” Rossa said, hopping up onto a low shelf and rattling the pots that sat on it.

  “What makes you think I’m interested in going anywhere with you?”

  “I think a certain young man has you interested. That and the mystery of the Ecliptica has got to have you a tiny bit excited.” Rossa had that twinkle again.

  Sighing, Nethalie made up her mind. “Okay, you may be right, but right now I need to get back to sleep. You can stay, but don’t break anything; father already seems on edge lately.”

  “He did seem a little abrupt. Very strange…more so that he knew that I was a Bluecap. We don’t get out much…” Rossa’s voice took a much more serious tone, “Looks like there is more than one thing that doesn’t belong in this shop.”

  ~ 6 ~

  The Shadow Realm is a place that no sane creature visits, however, rumours of hidden treasures and ancient ruins keep the explorers and looters sneaking across the borders. On one such border to the South stands the small village of Isimir, famously known for being the last good place to procure armaments, horses, supplies and a local brew from The Sundown Inn before entering the desolate Shadow Realm.