Zarwuun – The Secret of the Magic Sword

The Stranger

Tiraya peered through the railing down into the hall of the mansion. The stranger’s voice sounded like a whisper. Tensely, she tried to understand something, but was still too far from the conversation. 

Tiptoeing, Tiraya moved further down the old wooden stairs. The voices in the foyer grew louder, but she couldn’t quite make out what her uncle and the stranger were saying. Her heart beat faster as the creak of an old floorboard sounded beneath her feet. Tiraya ducked in fright, hoping they wouldn’t notice her through the thick railing. She held her breath. 

“No, this is out of the question!”, Tiraya heard her uncle Tairon shout to the stranger. 

“We are very sorry for how things turned out with Ekuldo then, but you cannot prevent her fate. We need her and the dagger. There is not much time left! The eclipse is already two full moons away, and she hasn’t even been activated yet,” the stranger replied in a gentle voice. The two stood at the other end of the foyer. The stranger’s silky white robe shimmered in the light from the large window. 

“It is your fault that Ansum was destroyed! If you had come to me then, as you promised, it would never have come to this. You will not get Tiraya! Now get out of my house! To expose her to such dangers is sheer madness. Guards!” shouted Tairon angrily. Two tall men in shimmering armour came storming into the foyer. 

“At your service, General!” their voices rang out in unison. Unimpressed by Tairon, the stranger strolled back a few steps. 

“Very well, I see I cannot convince you!” the stranger said. He raised his arms. “Gaspo ep hon,” he spoke, and in the next moment a colourful circle of light engulfed him. 

Tairon waved his guards away, and they left the foyer.

“Tiraya, you’re back from your ride already?” said Tairon, walking towards the stairs. 

“Who was that, Uncle Tairon?”

“Just an old accountant. It’s not important. Dinner will be served soon. Please change and come to the table.” 

Wordlessly, Tiraya turned around and went to her room. 

For quite a while, Tiraya sat on her bed and thought about it until she jumped up angrily. She hurried over to her wardrobe and tugged the door wide open. With her fingers, Tiraya stroked the different fabrics of her clothes until she selected one from the closet. Hastily, Tiraya changed her clothes. While hurrying to put on her other boot, she banged against the chest which stood next to the filled bookshelf. It creaked open of its own accord. 

There it is, my father’s heirloom. Is that what the stranger wanted? This dagger? Thought Tiraya.

The door to the room opened. In shock, Tiraya abruptly closed the wooden chest.

“Tiraya, dinner is served. Your uncle is waiting for you!” the old maid said. 

“Thank you! I’ll be right there,” Tiraya replied with a flushed face and clasped her hands behind her back.

“Are you reading something interesting right now?” Tarion’s voice broke the silence. 

“No, I have already read everything several times. Why do you always avoid my questions? That earlier with the stranger, why did he mention my name and father’s dagger? What is it that you don’t want to tell me?” 

“I told you it was nothing to worry about. Now, I don’t want to hear about it!” 

Tiraya’s expression twisted as she poked at her food with her fork.

“Very pretty, your red dress, is it new? I particularly like the rose border. It reminds me of the Ansum coat of arms,” Tairon said to lighten the mood.

“So those are the themes for tonight? Books and clothes?”

“Suitable topics for a relaxed dinner! If you’re so bored, why don’t you do something with Laysa tomorrow?” replied Tairon with a raised eyebrow.

“Laysa from private lessons? She left Hysaria a long time ago. She’s going to a university in the East. Besides, we weren’t friends. There’s no one else here my age. You won’t even let me leave Hysaria.”

“For your own protection. Countless dangers have been lurking out there since the great event. Not to mention Orcs and port creatures of the Dark Mage. If Laysa’s father feels he must expose his daughter to that, he must also answer for it.”

“I am twenty-one years old! How long are you going to keep me here?”

“Do not speak of me as if I were your jailer.”

“You never really told me how my parents died! In a fire, you mentioned once. Can’t you guess I’m wondering where I came from?”

“You are very persistent with your questions today.”

“And you are as stubborn as ever. You’re hiding things from me. I’m not a little child anymore.”

“But you behave like one. Stop it, or I’ll send you to your room like a child.”

“You don’t need to. I’ll go on my own,” Tiraya shouted, throwing her napkin next to the plate, getting up, and leaving her uncle alone at the table. 

Dusk was falling, and Tiraya gathered the items in her room that she needed to escape. She walked over to the chest, opened the lid, and took out a silver belt with a pouch from which a map was peeking. She pulled the map out of the pocket and unfolded it. 

The world map of Zarwuun, Tiraya thought as she looked at it. She quickly put it back into her belt pouch.

As she tied the belt around her narrow waist, the attached dagger struck against her thigh. In the candlelight, the handle of her dragon dagger shimmered in all the rainbow colours from its silver sheath. She reached for the water, cheese, and bread on her dresser which she had taken from the kitchen earlier and stowed them in the bag.

Her uncle was already asleep when she opened the door to the corridor. She quietly scurried through the dark mansion and descended the creaking stairs. She ran past the fireplace in the drawing room, grabbed the flint lying on it, and put it with the other objects. Through the back door, she entered the garden, which led to the horse stable. Two stallions lived there, belonging to Tairon and Tiraya.

Tentar, her black horse, neighed softly as she opened the stable gate in the moonlight. Tiraya gently stroked her horse’s tousled mane. She turned around and pulled the brown leather saddle from an old workbench. Carefully she put it and the bridle on. She took Tentar’s reins and walked him out through the stable gate. Quietly she closed it behind her and paused in front of it momentarily. Tiraya took a deep breath, turned and walked with Tentar through the moonlit garden. 

More and more clouds pushed in front of the moon, and the visibility deteriorated quickly. She approached the high hedges surrounding the property and opened the iron garden gate. This was only ajar, and Tiraya mindfully pulled Tentar behind her by his rein until they were both standing outside the hedges. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, but otherwise no sound was heard in the nightly silence. 

Tiraya swung onto Tentar and trotted with him through the dark cobbled streets. Their plan to overcome the high wall that protected the city of Hysaria all around was only a few steps away. As General of Hysaria and the Western Harbour, Uncle Tairon had the authority to post guards at the gateway. They made sure that only authorised merchants were allowed to enter Hysaria.

At the end of the alley was a large meadow with scattered trees and bushes. Tiraya recognised the end of the city and could see the gate from afar. She got off her horse just before the guards could notice her and took the flint from her belt pouch. She tied Tentar to a tree next to her with the rope. He immediately began to graze. Tiraya left him, ran to a withered bush, pulled her dagger out of its sheath, and rubbed the stone over it. Sparks fell on the withered plant, and the bush was on fire only a few moments later. Tiraya through a look to Tentar, untied the rope, jumped up, and trotted between the trees alongside the wall. The darkness camouflaged the two, and they watched what was happening. 

Not long after, a loud voice reached their ears: "Oh no, fire! Quick, we have to put it out. Help me!”

The two guards in front of the entrance came rushing through the gate to the others and ran together to the flames.

“Come on, get some water! The fire is spreading too fast,” one of the guards shouted. In their eagerness, they forgot to close the gate behind them, exposing the exit.

Tiraya took the opportunity and trotted unnoticed through the trees towards the wall. The fire blazed in the darkness, spreading more strongly. She turned her head tensely to the right and left to ensure no one saw her as she rode through the gate. Tighter, she took the reins of her black horse in her hands and quickened her trot. The flickering of the blazing fire illuminated the high wall so that she could see the unguarded passage. Without hesitation, Tentar trotted with his rider through the open gate out of Hysaria.