In Search of Auria Read online

  In Search of Auria

  By Alexis Rojas

  Copyright © 2014 by Alexis Rojas

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the author

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For Jessie

  Contents:

  1- Infiltrating the Outpost

  2- A Warrior’s Past

  3- In the town

  4- Forest Slumber

  5- Helping a Devita

  6- Corvus Assault

  7- At the Inn

  8- Little Brats

  9- Book of Beast

  10- Choice

  11- Good Times

  12- Battle Cry

  13- So Close

  14- Destiny

  15- Wanting Sunrise

  16- I and Eye

  17- Knowledge

  18- Downtrack

  19- Lady by the Water

  20- Ambros

  21- Accepting Fate

  22- Change of Heart

  23- The Arrangement

  24- Cavity

  25- Witches, Fairies, and Knights

  26- My Home

  1- Infiltrating the Outpost

  The land of Miaflore, my home, was under siege. Balora, the country we’ve fought against for decades, has finally gone beyond our borders and invaded. Various villages and strategic points have been lost due to their brute force. I felt ashamed that I wasn’t there on the frontlines driving them back, but I needed to do this. I had to save her. Some balorian scumbags had taken her, and it was up to me to bring her back.

  Daring behind enemy lines was a death wish, but nothing was going to stop me from rescuing the woman I loved.

  With no clues on her whereabouts, I only had this outpost in front of me, hoping to find some guidance in it. Surrounded by a cedar forest, the square outpost was protected by a tall wall of wooden stakes. It had two open portals on its east and west sides. Each one had banners hanging from atop, illustrating the balorian coat of arms: a crow holding a golden halberd, encircled by five green stars. There was only one soldier guarding the east entrance. I thought there would be more, but it appeared most of them had been sent to battle and only a handful were left behind. To reach the nearest battlefield, they would have gone north to reach the Dandy Overpass, a bridge that Miaflore had been in control of. It gave them pass over the Crude River and into the country. Now that Miaflore had lost that strategic point, the balorians were rushing through in countless numbers.

  I was thinking on how to sneak past the guard, when suddenly he ran inside. With no one watching the entrance anymore, I seized the opportunity and darted from the woods. When I reached the portal, I cautiously took a peek within. The balorian soldiers were trying to control a captured ogre. The monster was eight feet tall, brown colored and with black barbs on the side of its arms and legs. Its white eyes were almost to its temples, the nose was flat, and a series of small horns emerged underneath the jaw. Somehow it had removed the chains from its legs, and it was running amok through the outpost. The guard had rushed in to join the others and recapture it. As they tried to take control of the situation, I quickly sneaked inside.

  I kept low and ran behind the first structure in sight, the horse stable. While I figured out my next move, I overheard a conversation coming from within the stable. I looked through the spaces of the planked wall and saw the horse wrangler with a fellow soldier.

  “Stupid ogre. Do you think it can be tamed to attack the miaflorians in the war?” asked the soldier.

  “We’ll see,” the wrangler answered. “Hey, did you notice the man who talked with the captain?”

  “Of course! It was Commander Vallias. They tell me he ordered the captain to provide a carriage and cage, instructing to send them outside the outpost.”

  “Yes, I saw that. But when he returned, he was joined by more men, and the cage was no longer empty. Mad shrieks came from the inside. Since it was covered with a tarp, I couldn’t see what it was. Do you know? Maybe he caught a witch.”

  “I don’t know. But whatever it was, the captain knows for sure. He was the only person Vallias confided with.”

  This was useful. When balorians put someone in a cage, they would typically leave it uncovered and out in the open. That way the prisoner would suffer from the heat, cold, or rain. This time they were making an exception, so it must’ve been her inside. I had to find the captain. Only he would know where this Vallias was heading.

  I peered beside the horse stable and saw a large round tent in the very center of the camp. On its entrance were two soldiers standing guard with spears. That had to be the captain’s tent! But there was no way I could sneak inside with those two there. And it was too risky lifting the tent from the side; a set of eyes would see me.

  To get close unnoticed, I needed to get a disguise. The thing is I had always been a soldier that fought on an open battleground, not a spy that can conceal his appearance and actions. If discovered, I would be completely surrounded by the enemy; possibly killed on the spot. I rubbed my brow as sweat began to form. This was about to get dangerous.

  Beside the stables was a small brick hut, with spoiled food and scraps lying behind. It was the kitchen, and it gave me an idea. I slowly entered through the back door and found a fat cook sitting beside the hearth, his back towards me. He was helping himself to some meat, using his bare hands. I carefully took a pan hanging from the wall and smashed it on the back of his head. He spat out the meat and fell on the floor. He started snoring like if taking a nap. I quickly took his hat and apron, and hid my equipment in a corner of the kitchen; my sword, shield, and side bag. Posing as a cook would make me walk around unnoticed. There were bits and pieces of turkey on the table, but the turkey leg was whole. I took a silver platter from a cabinet, put the leg on it and headed for the captain’s tent.

  My heart was thumping and my breathing grew heavy as I neared the tent. So much that I could clearly hear the sound of air rushing in and out of my nose. When I reached the entrance, the guards stopped me. My body got so stiff, I could have cracked in half. The left guard looked at me from top to bottom and asked, “Where’s Alfred?”

  “Err, in the kitchen,” I uttered, almost chocking on my words. The guard nodded with an uncaring face.

  “Is there still some of that turkey left?” the soldier in the right now asked.

  “Err, in the kitchen.” I replied the same thing again! I was so nervous I couldn’t think of anything else. But, at least it had worked.

  “Perfect! I’m going to get us some meat,” he said to the other soldier, “I haven’t eaten the whole day!”

  The guard left and the other let me in. Inside the tent were various stands holding decorative swords and shields. At the back were a pair of small, black tables topped with books, and in the middle was a grey desk with a marble top surface. Beside the desk was a man with a long nose, wearing a scribes robe. I walked to him and asked, “Where is the captain?”

  “Obviously not here,” he obnoxiously said. “Who are you? Why are you dressed like the cook?”

  “I’m helping him,” I said, trying to keep my composure. “I bring an exquisite meal for the captain.”

  “No you’re not! I know Alfred and he would never let anyone else deliver food to the captain. He likes to save that honor only for himself. Who are you?” At that moment I knew I had to improve my espionage skills, because the next thing I did was smash the plate on his face. He gave a slight wimp and fell. The guard outside heard the bash and rushed in. He saw the scribe on the ground and me with the smeared plate.

  “What happened here?” he ye
lled.

  It was the first time I acted as an impostor. I didn’t know how to react. So, I threw the platter to his head, too. He stumbled back, but his helmet protected him. I took a shield from the stand beside me and blocked a thrust of his spear. When he tried again, I stepped in and pushed the spear upward. I punched him on the stomach and raised my knee to his chin. He fell back, breaking the other stands behind him. I quickly put my attention on the scribe again, fearful that he would run, but he was still insensible on the ground. He had been sipping from a glass of wine on the desk. I poured it all over his face, and he woke up wiggling like a worm. I grabbed him by the collar of his robe and sternly talked, “The captain is not here, so I’ll direct my question to you. Where is she?”

  “I-I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he answered, spitting on himself.

  “I know she passed through here, kidnapped by Vallias.”

  “You mean, you’re searching for the---”

  “Where is she?!”

  “I don’t know where they took her,” he shook his head.

  I raised my hand in anger and was about to pummel him, when fear got the best of him.

  “The captain knows!” he trembled. “Every day he goes to the southern pond to ease his mind. You’ll find him there.”

  I expressed my gratitude by knocking him out with my fist. As I rose up, I saw a folded map of Balora on the desk. I took it, for it would be useful on my journey. Before I left the tent, I glanced at the stands the soldier broke and saw a small chest underneath the rubble. I cleared the debris and opened it. Hidden inside was a small pouch full of gold and silver lorins. The lorin was the balorian coin. I clutched the pouch and got out the tent. The guard that had left for the kitchen was now returning. He had turkey meat wrapped in cloth.

  “Alfred, that lazy bum. Now he has taken to sleep on the floor,” he said. “But, at least he didn’t see me taking all this meat. Anyway, where is the other guard?”

  “The scribe called him in. I think they both liked the platter I brought.”

  I left him in a hurry. The captain was away from the outpost. And if it was for a leisurely walk, he would be accompanied with only a guard or two. I had to get to him before he returned. I quickly revisited the kitchen and got my weapons back, putting the map into my side bag, along with the pouch of lorins. The cook was still asleep beside the furnace, and I let him be. At that moment, a smile formed on my face. It had gotten a bit rough, but no one had captured me yet. Maybe in the future I could pursue a life of espionage.

  I left the brick hut, paced to the stables and mounted a brown horse with white hair. The wrangler inside went to me, “Hey, cook, where do you think you’re going with a sword?”

  I lowered my head and locked eyes with him, “I’m out for a hunt.”

  Suddenly, the guard I had fought in the tent came out and yelled, “The cook is an impostor. He’s a spy!” The wrangler turned to me, but what he saw was my foot smashing his face. So much for a future in espionage. I darted out the stable with the horse and dashed by all the soldiers on patrol. I was heading for the west portal when I felt arrows fly by my head. I looked back and saw balorians riding horses themselves. I had to think of some way to stop their pursuit. And then, I saw the ogre. Its hands had been chained to a large stone that protruded from the earth. As I passed by, I took out my sword and broke the chains. It roared as it broke free, raising its arms apart. Recognizing the balorians as its capturer, it ran towards them in a rampage of fury. The horses stopped and hopped back, knocking the soldiers off their backs. Passing through the western exit, the soldier standing guard there had just noticed the commotion. I bent down and snatched his spear. He called me ill names, but at least I had escaped the outpost.

  The horse was a good steed and galloped ferociously. I took the southbound path and quickly reached the green waters of the pond. My spirit got excited when I saw the captain on the other side. He was on his horse, accompanied only by one sentry. I kicked the horse and prepared the spear.

  The captain wore the same armor as the common soldier, but with greater shoulder guards and a long yellow cape. He was admiring the stillness of the waters, until he saw me circling the pond at full speed. He ordered the sentry towards me, but his run ended when I threw the spear through his chest. The impact threw him dead on his back. I then drew my sword and charged for the captain. I thought he was drawing his own sword, but he caught me off guard by throwing a knife. It grazed my cheek and made me fall off the horse. Luckily, the tall grass growing around the pond cushioned my landing. As I turned to face him again, his fierce horse almost stomped my body. I rolled, got on my feet and raised my sword and shield.

  “Who do you think you are, coming at me this way?” he said.

  “Where is she? Where was she taken?”

  The glowering of his face gave him away; he immediately knew what I was talking about. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at me, “How do you know about that? Only a handful of men know what that carriage is hauling. Answer me, you cretin. Who are you?”

  “I am no one,” I answered, glaring with sharp eyes. “I’m just a man in search of what was stolen from him. No matter where she is, I will bring her back home. I’ll find her, even if it means breaking you and this sorry country in half!”

  “Back home? You are a miaflorian! I’ll cut you up and feed you to the dogs!”

  He raised his sword and charged at me like if he were jousting. I blocked his blows with my shield, but the added speed of the horse made the hits hard to withstand. Eventually, he swung hard enough that I stumbled to the ground. I couldn’t keep this up. If I did, he was surely going to defeat me. As I flipped my body to stand, I saw the body of the dead sentry. The spear was standing upright on his chest. It was the weapon I needed to finish this. I rashly let go of my sword and shield, and bolted for it.

  “Yes! Run, coward, run!” barked the captain. I reached the spear and ripped it out of the corpse’s torso. I looked back and the captain was already meters away, his blade raised to give me the final blow. I knelt, aimed at the horse’s legs, and swung the spear. Both captain and horse plunged to the ground. He landed on his head and lost consciousness.

  Minutes later he woke up with a groan. Stripped of all his possessions, except his undergarments, I had bound his hands and feet. He opened his eyes to see my knee pushing firmly against his bare chest. I was kneeling on top of him, pushing the weight of my body on his sternum, striving to hear it crack. He tried to scream, but I had stuffed a cloth in his mouth. His horse was behind us, eating grass and neighing, completely ignoring his punishment.

  “I don’t have time to waste,” I told him, “Just tell me what I want to know and I won’t hurt you anymore.” I tried to show him some mercy, but as soon as I removed the cloth from his mouth, he told me to piss off.

  I guess he didn’t get the message. I jumped up and dropped my knee so hard on his chest, he coughed up blood. I took out my dagger and pressed it upon his cheek, “Look, I’m new to this whole torturing thing, but I sure know how to use a knife. Now, talk!”

  He didn’t react the way I expected. I wanted to intimidate him and make him talk, but he just continued with the insults and mockery. His dreaded voice bounced off my head, and his repugnant face squirmed and twisted. I couldn’t stand him anymore. I raised the blade and let my rage take over.

  “WHERE IS AURIA?!”

  I drove the dagger down and pushed it all the way into his shoulder. He screamed in pain as the blood spewed over the skin. I held firmly onto his agony, turning the blade until he finally gave me what I needed.

  “Vidana City, Vidana…” he screamed, “please, stop.”

  Vidana, the capital of Balora. Auria was being taken to the heart of the enemy kingdom. But, why? Why was the balorian military interested in her? She had never even being in contact with them. I removed the dagger from his bloody flesh and walked away. But, as I passed by his horse with a river of questions in my mind, I heard him gi
ve a weak chuckle. I turned to see his vile smile.

  “You love her, don’t you?” he asked.

  I stood still.

  “Haha, to risk your life and come all this way past enemy lines, love must be involved… Blasphemy!” he scowled. “A warrior falling for a flimsy fairy? It’s so stupid I still can’t take it seriously.”

  Little did he know that the rope I used to tie his feet was also latched to the saddle of his horse. I didn’t plan to do it, but he was being such a jerk I just had to. I slapped the horse’s rump and it dashed off, dragging his body behind. His skin split and gashed all over by the grass, dry bushes, and rocks. The horse ran all around the pond, while I entered the forest with map in hand. No man, animal or beast would keep me from her. It was just a matter of time until I found and reached my Auria.

  2- A Warrior’s Past

  First Memory

  I made a campfire, took off my gauntlets and sat. The night breeze had mellowed down to a comforting whisper, and the cloudy sky brushed by like a colorless painting. I outstretched my hands to the flames and felt the heat caress the space between my fingers. It had been two days since I encountered the balorian captain. Since then I had steadily marched northwest, where the next village was located. Whether I’d enter or not that village would be a decision for later. For now, it was a moment of rest. The flickering of the fire and the crackling of the wood evoked events from my past. I gazed at blaze, hypnotized by its upward flow dance.