The Conquest of Kiynan

Kayla could see land approaching quickly as the ice ship soared above the Shrouded Sea. The shore was completely choked with dense jungle, the likes of which Kayla had never seen before. The tropical vegetation seemed conspicuously out of place on the temperate continent of Ornland. For a moment, Kayla became concerned that finding the Bright Keep in all the thick foliage might prove difficult. As they reached the shoreline however, Kayla could make out a large gap in the trees. A tall grassy hill grew out of the clearing, and at the very top sat a gleaming white castle, surrounded by and overgrown with strange plants. The castle would have appeared abandoned if it were not for the obvious activity inside and atop its walls. From her perch on the ship’s prow, the people below looked to Kayla like tiny ants scurrying about frantically. She carefully controlled her sudden excitement, lest she should let the ship and her companions plummet to the ground. She lowered the vessel, circling the hill, searching for a place to put down. It would be impossible to land the ice ship anywhere on the actual hill, due to the sharp pitch of the slope, for fear of the ship rolling down and endangering its passengers. Kayla spied an area just large enough to fit the narrow vessel between the bottom of the slope and the tightly knotted vegetation.

As the ship descended, they heard creaks and cracks as several branches were snapped out of the ship’s way. As soon as the ice ship alighted softly, the magicians all quickly scrambled and jumped off, perhaps too obviously eager to have solid ground beneath their feet again. Marax gently grabbed Kayla about the waist, energetically lifted her off the ship and put her down on the edge of the grassy slope. Without delay, Kayla and her companions began up the steep hill toward the castle. The hike took them some time, allowing them to work their muscles that were painfully stiff from their long voyage.

As they approached the summit and the castle itself, Kayla had a closer look at the gigantic flowers surrounding the fortress, which were three or four times her height. The top of each was a large ovoid-shaped red bulb. As the companions walked into the forest of enormous plants, Kayla felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, remembering the unfortunate end the Necromancer emissary to House Hope had met.

“It feels like they’re watching us,” she remarked to Marax.

“They are,” he whispered. “These are the sentinels of House Hope. Inside those heads are concealed thorns as thick as my arm, and as long as my leg, like huge teeth. When an enemy approaches the Bright Keep, those heads snap open, swing down and chomp on the nearest trespasser. I’ve seen more than a few people get swallowed by those ghastly weeds. Not a good way to go,” he opined grimly.

Kayla swallowed hard as she looked up at the enormous carnivorous sentinels. The plants’ heads were unmistakably pivoting to track the party as they neared the stronghold. The castle itself, Kayla saw when she tore her gaze away from the looming weeds, was made of white stone blocks. Thick, flower-covered vines clung tightly to the castle walls, enveloping it completely. The Bright Keep’s main gate was made up not of metal as Castle Malice’s gate had been. Instead, countless thorny vines were twisted and knotted together to form a thick, uninviting mass of dark wood. The party walked right up to the gate and stopped, trying to figure out how to knock on that spiny mass. An instant later, before anyone had time to voice a suggestion, the vines suddenly began to loosen and untangle themselves. A few moments later, the vines had all retracted and the way was completely clear. Kayla exchanged an astonished look with Lucia, and the group carefully walked through the gateway into the main courtyard.

The courtyard looked like it had been grown rather than built. Instead of the usual flagstones, the ground was covered with thick springy grass. Towering bushes and trees were everywhere, shaped like great animals and the former Masters and Mistresses of House Hope.

“Look!” Marax whispered to Kayla, pointing at a Druid standing at the foot of one the outside walls.

Kayla watched in amazement as one of the sculpted plants, shaped to resemble a great bear, lowered a paw to the Druid’s feet. He stepped onto the dense foliage, and the plant raised its simulated appendage to the top of the wall, where the Druid stepped off. The plant immediately returned to its previous menacing pose.

“Do you suppose,” began Dessa doubtfully, “that those saplings up there on the walls are…” she trailed off.

“Catapults,” confirmed Marax. “When House Fury assaulted the Bright Keep several years ago, I saw them hurl flaming brands and vine nets riddled with poisonous thorns. Good range too,” he finished dispassionately.

Kayla had gone back to staring up at the immense plants and had noticed one that had caught her eye. It was shaped in the likeness of a Lethean, resembling what she had seen in the paintings in the Hall of Ecstasy. She stared in wonderment at the detailed living sculpture. Suddenly, a sharp musical voice grabbed her attention.

“Master Abron!” called Mistress Lucinda the Green, as she hurried toward them. “I cannot tell you how relieved I am to see your company again, but… where is Omil?”

As she looked into Abron’s eyes, her expression revealed that she had already guessed her pupil’s fate.

“He was killed in battle by one of Daimin’s servants,” Abron replied solemnly, without elaborating.

Lucinda nodded sombrely, then visibly recovered her optimism.

“But your mission was a success?”

“It certainly was!” chimed in Marax triumphantly.

“Then all is not lost. Tell me,” her tone changed audibly from one of relief to sly curiosity, “is it true you flew your ship here?”

“Yes,” said Abron simply.

After an expectant moment passed, Dessa could no longer hold her tongue.

“It was Kayla! She actually lifted the ship clear out of the water and flew it all this way!”

“Remarkable,” breathed Lucinda as she contemplated the girl with wonderment.

Kayla felt herself blushing and awkwardly looked away. She simultaneously enjoyed the attention and wished it would end.

“May we enquire what news you have?” asked Lucia, diverting the conversation away from Kayla.

“Grave news, I’m afraid,” sadness crept into Lucinda’s voice again. “Castle Malice has been destroyed. When Daimin’s forces returned the third time, we simply were not strong enough to hold him back. We were forced to retreat to the Hall of Ecstasy. We managed to regroup, and waited for Daimin’s next advance. It came quickly, and when it did, we were again unable to resist. His army is simply too numerous and too resilient.” She shook her head in bewilderment. “When the Hall fell, many headed for White Tower, but it will be too difficult to defend effectively against Daimin. The rest of us came here, as the Bright Keep is our last hope of defeating the Conjurer.”

“You won’t be able to defeat Daimin without help. The Bright Keep will fall,” said Marax bluntly.

“Well,” returned Lucinda stubbornly, “if we fall, we’ll die fighting to defend our home.”

“There is a way to defeat Daimin, but not before he controls Ornland. We need to get help,” Kayla explained.

“The Fled have already abandoned us, they won’t help us again. Besides, I’ve received a report stating that their capital is besieged by a barbarian fleet.”

“Yes, I know,” said Kayla, speaking very quickly. “I wasn’t talking about the Fled. We must sail past those barbarian ships, to a land far to the west, called Gaurvia. There are still many soldiers there who can help us. Together with them, I know we can defeat Daimin.”

“What do you mean you know? How can you know anything? You’re talking about sailing hundreds of miles around an unknown aggressor, to gain the support of strangers in some far off land! What makes you think we’ll have any better chance fighting Daimin in some foreign territory than here among our own defences?”

“Because,” said Kayla taking a deep breath, “I have foreseen it.”

Lucinda considered that for a moment. She had been told about the flying ice ship, she knew Kayla must have been central to the defeat of Daimin’s disciples, so it wasn’t that great a leap for her to accept that Kayla had also learned the Augur magic of clairvoyance.

“What will happen once we arrive in Gaurvia?”

Kayla was unsure about this. Her visions had been mostly fragmented, and although she’d been able to mostly piece together all that she had just announced, much remained clouded.

“I’m not sure… I just know that we’ll find help there, and that they are our only chance of defeating Daimin.”

“What about the barbarian fleet? And your own people?”

“Well, I don’t know about that for certain either. Maybe the barbarians will slow Daimin down long enough for us to get to Brockton well ahead of him. I don’t think Haven will be able to stand against Daimin for much longer than the barbarian fleet, but we can’t get to them. Like the Bright Keep, we’ll just have to retake Haven after we’ve defeated Daimin in the western lands.”

Lucinda regarded Kayla rather doubtfully, but did not raise any further objections. She looked over into Abron’s steely grey eyes for a few moments, then waved one of the other Druids over to her. She whispered in his ear and he hurried off.

“I’ll get a fleet together as quickly as possible.”

“We must urgently get word to White Tower as well, Daimin will strike there before coming here. We should have their fleet meet ours at Cape Destiny before sailing west.”

“I will see to it,” said Abron. “I will give a message to the spirits that aid my House. They will carry it to the Necromancers at White Tower more quickly than any bird could fly.”