Crystals of Redact Read online

  Crystals of Redact

  Legends of Gilia, Volume 10

  RG Long

  Published by Retrovert Books, 2019.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  CRYSTALS OF REDACT

  First edition. February 5, 2019.

  Copyright © 2019 RG Long.

  Written by RG Long.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Maps and More

  1: Courage

  2: Frontier

  3: Island Inhabitants

  4: Homecoming

  5: Trespassing

  6: Mercenary

  7: Magic

  8: Scattered Light

  9: Converging

  10: Those Who Decide

  11: Stories of the Past

  12: Treaties

  13: Ancient Ties

  14: In the Air

  15: The Court of Three

  16: Birds of Prey

  17: Greetings

  18: Declarations of War

  19: The Ties That Bound

  20: Separate Ways

  21: Unintentionally

  22: Vanity

  23: Vengeful

  24: Repairs

  25: Valuables

  26: Meetings

  27: Work Around

  28: The Blackthorns

  29: Questionable Legality

  30: Interrogating

  31: Flee!

  32: Insistent

  33: Inner Workings

  34: Forward Motion

  35: Provocations

  36: Grudges, Old and New

  37: The High Court

  38: Curious

  39: Subtle

  40: Those Who Make Plans

  41: Desire of Nations

  42: At the Waters

  43: The Gift of Laurels

  44: Experimental

  45: The King’s Halfling

  46: Worries

  47: The Capital

  48: Captain

  49: The School of Flight

  50: Remembered

  51: Family

  52: Prejudice

  53: Rerial’s Treaty

  54: An Unbelievable Tale

  55: Behind the Scenes

  56: Hatchling

  57: Destabilized

  58: The Plight of the Elves

  59: The Lone Scholar

  60: Revenge is South

  61: Lineage

  62: An Alliance

  Author's Note

  The Story Continues

  Maps and More

  Answers to Ealrin’s past are finally here! “Crystals of Redact” is an adventure you won’t soon forget! If you want more, I’ve got a deal for you!

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  1: Courage

  Ezekiel‘s hands were sweaty. Normally the dwarf could work for hours on end without having the heat affect him. The desert mines of Tarnish were where he had spent his entire life.

  Hot, gritty sand blew off of the desert that stretched on for miles around the mine and funneled down into the vast expanse they had excavated over generations. Dust from the red rocks nearby had never bothered his breathing. He was far too hearty for that. The suns that beat down on him during the noon day were also something he had grown accustomed to over decades in the mines. Normally this was a time when the dwarves of Tarnish would take a break from their labors.

  But not today. And not for the last week either.

  There was a new quota to be had.

  Ezekiel chipped away at the rock that was his task for the week. No telltale signs of the green stone that contrasted so well with the hot desert rock could be found. Not yet at least.

  In the rock he was working with, there was sure to be at least one vein of Rimstone.

  He was expected to find at least one week. That was the goal of every dwarf who worked in the mines. And with the ancient shaft (burrowing so far underground that most of the bottom was hidden until this very hour) covered with the walkways and planks of dwarves busy at their task, the mines of Tarnish were sure to meet their new quotas. Hundreds of chisels and tools like his own rung out as they worked away at their stones.

  It was a task Ezekiel had so ingrained in him that he could probably find a Rimstone in his sleep.

  And yet, his hands were sweaty.

  It was not that he was worried about how much Rimstone he would find. He was skilled enough to be able to meet any quota given to him.

  Today, Ezekiel’s hands betrayed him.

  Because today he would betray his brothers in arms.

  He looked to his left and right. He was working in between dwarves he did not know. For that he was thankful. At least today he wouldn’t see the faces of those he knew and loved as he committed treason.

  They wouldn’t understand. It was for no selfish reason that Ezekiel pulled out the small device he had been given. Inside of it a little metal clanking could just barely be heard over the echoing hammers and chisels around him. He fingered the small box for just a moment, wondering how something so little could be up for such a monumental task.

  As he has been instructed to do, he took off his glove and rubbed his thumb over the metallic box. He could feel the Rimstone worked into the runes begin to glow. The metallic casing immediately became warm his hands. He held onto it for as long as he could, thinking of all the reasons he had for using it. Clutching it to his chest he spoke softly through his beard.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said as he shed a single tear. “I am so, so sorry.”

  “What’s that you’ve got there?” a great voice said behind him. Ezekiel knew it would have been the Stone Master for his level. Perhaps he thought that Ezekiel had found a piece of Rimstone, as the metal box began to glow more fiercely and his hands.

  Ezekiel didn’t answer. Instead, he threw the little box over his shoulder. Then he sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest.

  “Here now!” the Stone Master said. “What was that?”

  In answer to his question, the mines of Tarnish erupted in an explosion of magic and rock.

  2: Frontier

  What should have been a picturesque spring morning over the oceans of Gilia was punctuated by the clunking and churning sound of wood hitting wood and magical eruptions echoing out over the waters.

  The ship was shaking so violently that Ealrin feared the whole thing would come apart. It had only been flying a week and yet every day, the Sky Dart struggled to complete the next leg of their journey.

  “It’s getting much worse! What’s wrong with this bucket of death?” Silverwolf called from the deck.

  Ealrin felt it was best not to answer her in the way that he wanted. He quite valued his life.

  “Harnesses!” he shouted out in reply. His companions who were on the deck had been rushing for the vests that were tied down at the front, middle, and rear of the ship before he had given the command. He couldn’t blame them. Before he had even taken the helm this day, he had fastened his own to himself. There was something about the way the Sky Dart had acted yesterday that made him worry about reaching their destination.

  “I see land up ahead!” Holve called from beside him. He had to shout, even though he stood so close. The noise from below was growing louder with each moment.

  “Redact?” Ealrin asked.

  “Doesn’t matter!” Felecia called from beside him.

/>   Ealrin had to agree. Any land would be better than crashing into the middle of the ocean.

  He could just barely make out the small dot of land ahead of them. He hoped that the airship would be able to make it that far, but a loud thumping noise that was growing louder and drowning out all others did not give him much hope.

  The Sky Dart was, after all, a stolen ship driven through battle and then sailed across the ocean. It hadn’t exactly been well taken care of.

  Not that any of them knew how to take care of this kind of vessel. They were all making it up as they went.

  It had gears and large leather bags that filled with air and then released in unison as well as several clicking and clunking wood and metal parts that made no sense to any of them. And, every so often, there would be a glowing piece of Rimstone worked into the machinery of it all. Sometimes it was crafted into a gear, sometimes it was at the head of a box with levers and knobs worked into it.

  Even Gorplin, who was an expert craftsman, couldn’t make out much of what was going on.

  Ealrin had flashes of memory whenever he had the time to look over the ship’s internal workings. He would move a lever or change a dial and the ship would work better. For a time. Those improvements never lasted that long.

  “The water is coming up fast!” Wisym yelled from the railing. The elf was usually quite calm. The ship’s antics appeared to be breaking her. Ealrin tried to look over the deck without leaving the steering controls, but that was hard to do.

  “Do you think we can make it?” he shouted at the elf.

  Wisym looked over the front of the ship and then back to Ealrin, concern written all over her face.

  “It’s gonna be close!” she said.

  “Can’t you just put us in the blasted water?” Felecia Stormchaser shouted. She had cause to give him tips on sailing as she was their trusted captain whenever they were in a ship on the sea. Unfortunately, sailing over water and sailing through the wind were two completely different specialties. Ealrin had no skill on water. Felecia was helpless in the air.

  “Judging from the damage we took during yesterday‘s less than admirable landing,” Galp, a feline like creature who had a knack for saying more than was necessary, said as he popped out from the hole in the deck that went down into the Sky Dart’s lower chambers. “I’m not sure how much longer the ship would be able to maintain its present altitude!”

  “Somebody with more than half a brain tell me what he said!” Felecia shouted over Galp’s head.

  “There are holes down there, Miss Felecia!” Jurrin, the crew’s only halfling said as he followed Galp out from the deck as well. “Big ones!”

  The Sky Dart lurched down and everyone aboard the ship took hold of the railing or the ropes that fastened them to the vessel as they all lost their footing momentarily.

  “Wisym!” Holve shouted again.

  “We are definitely going to hit the water first!” she answered back, this time not looking towards Ealrin and Holve as she said it.

  Then a soft, gentle voice began to fill the air with what sounded like a song. Tendrils of green light reached through the air and wrapped themselves around the ship. The vessel rose up into the sky again and Ealrin felt his stomach drop.

  Shoving the controls forward, the ship lurched as he directed it towards the island that was growing larger and larger. He hoped that their speed would take them to land before they met a watery demise.

  “Keep it up, Blume!” he said, though he hated asking so much from their only Speaker.

  With one hand, the dark-skinned, blonde-haired girl held onto the railing of the ship. With the other hand, she clutched the necklace around her throat that granted her this magical ability. Her song grew louder as the ship sped forward.

  Ealrin could see the island much more clearly now and prayed that they would be able to make it.

  “Brace yourselves!” he shouted as they dropped down to the water. The bottom of the boat hit and skipped along the surface of the ocean, causing them all to shutter with the force of the impact.

  Ealrin pulled up on the controls one last time, hoping to get one final push.

  With a crash and a spray of water, Ealrin felt the ship slide into the sandy beach of the island. They all were jolted forward with the impact of finally reaching land. Water and sand went everywhere in an enormous spray.

  A collective sigh issued from the crew of the Sky Dart, along with several moans.

  Gorplin’s voice was heard above all the others.

  “If my feet never leave the ground again,” he said, picking himself up off the deck of the ship. “It will be far sooner than I would like.”

  3: Island Inhabitants

  It wasn’t long before Jurrin was able to help get most of the supplies off of the Sky Dart and into the relative safety of the palm trees they had made a camp several paces off the beach. They had been lucky to land during high tide. The ocean was receding now and the threat to what was left of their belongings was greatly diminished.

  While Urt and Felecia fussed over the inner workings of the ship and cursed whoever had made it, Jurrin had helped to direct everyone to the safety of the camp.

  It wasn’t that they had a large number of things to preserve. It was that the things that they had were precious and had to be treated carefully. No one needed to tell Jurrin that.

  Stepping out from the hole in the ship caused by the day’s unfortunate crash and landing, Jurrin made sure he had a tight grip on his old friend’s spell book and the book they had found in the wreckage of the battlefield of Ladis.

  Jurrin shook his head. Their little group had seen so much war. He hoped that the search for Ealrin‘s memories would prove to be a lesser conflict. Jurrin had traveled from the forests of his own home to see snowcapped mountains, terrifying underwater caves, and huge towers that were the size of entire cities. He would have quite the tale to tell when he got back to BigTree.

  “Mister Gorplin!” he said over his shoulder. “Are you bringing out that barrel of dried meat?”

  In reply, the dwarf cursed in his own tongue as something large made a crashing sound inside the ship. Jurrin clicked his tongue.

  “I told you I would help you with it if you just waited!”

  Jurrin knew better than to argue with the dwarf. Once he had made up his mind, there was nothing anyone could do to change it.

  He walked through the sandy beach, letting the sand get in between his toes. It was warmer now. They had allowed the winter to pass them in a very nice port where Holve had managed to find an old contact of his. They had rested for the winter, resupplied their vessel, and then decided their next course of action would be to find Ealrin‘s family.

  The consensus of the group was unanimous. Ealrin had helped them all so much and in different ways. It was really their way to repay him. Jurrin was glad that they might find Ealrin‘s family. He was also glad that was the focus of their journey for once.

  It felt more like an adventure this time. Not like some dangerous quest.

  His eyes took a moment to adjust to the shade of the palm trees after he crossed into them from the beach.

  Holve, Wisym, Silverwolf, and Ealrin were leaning down over a map they had sat on top of one of the barrels of food. Jurrin put the books down on another crate before leaning against it and taking a drink from the water skin at his side. The water was not cold, but it was fresh. He had found a wonderful spring at their last stop and refilled every container they had.

  Water was a precious commodity whether they were sailing or flying through the air.

  “If I had to guess,” Holve was saying. “We’re somewhere off the shores of the Court of Three.”

  He shook his head.

  “I don’t know about you lot, but I’ve had my fill of religious sects. If we could avoid them that would be the best.”

  Ealrin chuckled, but it was a laugh without humor.

  Jurrin couldn’t help but agree.

  “Is Amrolan back yet?
” Wisym asked.

  Jurrin looked around for the elf. It was hard to miss him, mostly because he spent a considerable amount of his time next to a giant bear. The two were inseparable and also, quite useful. Before the request to scout the island had hardly left Holve‘s mouth, Panto and his trusted handler were off.

  “Oh, I imagine we will be seeing him shortly, Mister Holve,” Jurrin said with a bit of confidence as he reached down and pulled out a bite of dried meat from a barrel.

  Felecia and Urt walked up to the meeting of minds.

  “Unless we get Blume to work her magic, I don’t think that hunk of wood is going to be sailing anywhere anytime soon,” she said putting her hands on her hips.

  An odd trumpet-like a sound filled the air and Urt’s ears perked up as he looked around the clearing. There didn’t seem to be anything close by, but that was the sound of the trumpet, Jurrin was sure of it.

  “I guess we’re not alone on this island,” Silverwolf said, drawing her sword.

  “No,” said Urt, surprising Jurrin as he was halfway done chewing his piece of meat. He was always surprised to hear Urt’s voice.

  “That’s the horn of a Skrilx.”

  4: Homecoming

  Gorplin had experienced just enough talking to last his entire lifetime. Galp, the Skrilx they had found in the bottom of a dungeon on the continent of Ladis, was talking his ear off.

  “The mechanics of the ship really are fascinating! The fact that the vessel is able to remain airborne truly boggles the mind! I mean, birds can fly but they hardly ever need Rimstone magic to do so! They just flap their wings or soar on a wind stream. The Sky Dart doesn’t seem to do either, and yet it floats! Ha!”

  “I wish someone would boggle your mind,” Gorplin said under his breath as he inspected the ax he had received as a gift. It was beginning to look a little worse for wear. It had been out of his possession for several months at a time, and the dwarf did not have all the necessary tools he needed to take care of it properly.