An Alturian Legacy - Chapter 1

An Alturian Legacy

Prologue

Something stirred. Now, he wasn’t sure quite what it was but something definitely stirred, more on the inside than the out. His sensations began to awake as the wind gently pulled strands of his hair across his face, bringing with it the smell of the trees, the leaves and of the wild flowers in which he slept. He opened his eyes and stared. Waking up was always one of the delights when he was hunting; the sky was just coated in stars, a stunning array that just couldn’t be seen unless they were the only source of light. That was the thing, he mused, stars are at their most beautiful when they know they are the center of attention, they are easily shied when lamps or fires are near but when it was just you and them they put on a show that couldn’t be rivaled by anything that mere people could make.

His mind then returned to why he had woken in the first place. He rolled onto his side, feeling his muscles and joints give recognition of their reluctance to leave their previously cushy state, and stared. She was fine, probably more so than him as she seemed to be sleeping soundly whilst he struggled to get his worries off his mind, lying back he returned to staring heavenward. She could look after herself of course, he just preferred it if she didn’t have to. He closed his eyes, the sound of the wind through the leaves eased his mind.

Life was good.


Chapter 1 – Not Alone

Some believed in spirits that lived in the forest, which kept things the way they were and kept the balance of life in the world. This was the same in Alturia, every one had heard of someone who had almost seen a Dryad in the forests, or swears that they heard laughing from Silverwind river, which could clearly only have come from one of the spirits of the river. Of course there were those who would speculate of more sinister things in the deep of the woods, and of a deal struck by Parsos, which kept these things in their place. Of course if some one was to be travelling along the Silverwind on this day, at the lagoon that marked the end of what Alturia most unjustifiably called a highland*, they would be very much mistaken in surmising that the source of laughter was a spirit of any kind.

Tristain and Tika moved into the light of day from under the dense canopy created by the woodland, it was always an astonishing sight to see the lagoon in the morning sun; it seemed to shine and glisten as the sun reflected off the pure, clear water. This was a favourite spot for Tristain who, having grown up in Middlewood, a village not far from here, had found solace in the shelter and solitude the lagoon provided since he first found it with Corbin when they were both still learning the ways of the forest. Since then he had visited consistently on the return journey from any prolonged hunt, it was a place to wash clean, and rest easy before presenting whatever prize he had gained from the hunt to whomever in the village needed it.

This is the first time that Tika had come with him on a hunt, Corbin had been busy with his new project, building a new home in the village for himself and others who had grown too big for their old homes to accommodate. Of course Tristain helped where he could but the mechanics of it confounded him, and keeping up with Corbin was a challenge as the man was an ox when it came to moving the materials for the building. Tristain was far more interested in the forest, he understood the need for housing and a home to return to, but for him returning was the best part, and for that reason he spent a lot of time hunting and collecting supplies that kept the village ticking over, of course hunting in the deep is hazardous on your own. So when Corbin let him down, Tika suggested she should join him, and as arguing with Tika was only undertaken by drunks or fools Tristain, being neither, decided it was best to allow her to acompany him.

The lagoon set a milestone for the return journey, it was the first part in which he felt he no longer had to worry about Tika’s safety and this set him very much at ease. It had been a long journey, starting with a hike to Alturis for supplies for Corbin’s building project, and finishing with a sidetrack so that they could bring something back that was more substantial than Corbin’s selection of odds and ends for the house, namely the large carcasses now draped over Tristain’s horse. It hadn’t been an easy hunt, the sidetrack had caused the hunt to take significantly longer, an extra day in fact, but the result was well worth it and the two hunters were well pleased with the two enormous Boars. After taking the horses to water the pair fell still laughing onto the moist grass besides the lagoon.  Neither was quite sure where the laughter had originated but neither was quite capable of stopping it in its tracks. Much of the journey had been taken up by witty retorts between the two and all in all they had found a lot of common ground.

Tristain, like most Alturians, was well built and more than capable with a bow, survivability was something that was built into Alturians from their upbringing in the villages. They were a proud race, proud of how they lived, their history, and very proud of their culture. This culture being mostly one of community; children were brought up by the whole village, everyone cared for everyone else and without fail, they cared back. Selfishness wasn’t really an understood concept, they survived by relying on each other, and it was more than just surviving, it was thriving in a forest that bit back when too much was taken. Natural skills were honed when all the tasks were completed as people really enjoyed spending time together, and this was one of the reasons that silence descended upon the laughter resonating in the lagoon.

Nothing moved. Tristain and Tika, bodies pressed hard to the small incline leading to the water, scanned the tree line. Although there had been a feeling of some repeating presence near them whilst they were hunting, it was usually far in the distance and not a threat. This new development changed matters, it was close.


* Essentially this involved large outcroppings of rock and small waterfalls, highland by Alturian standards, the area being essentially woodland with no real height so much as some small valleys.

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Corbin always worked in somewhat of a daze when he was building; he was so focussed on his job that most of the outside world went unnoticed. To this end it was significant that Corbin was just staring at his incomplete work, with some amount of pride but to those paying attention the house on the edge of the woods wasn’t his sole focus, the distant look in his eyes gave it away, something wasn’t right.

This was the third day since Tristain and Tika had left for the city, there was no rush as Corbin had enough materials for a few more days, and knowing Tristain he would bring some prize back with him. But it was nearing sunset, and once the sun had set he doubted they would be returning until morning, travel through the woods was not easy in the dark as there were snares and pitfalls that were best negotiated during daylight. Normally Tristain's absence was taken without problems in Middlewood, as his return was usually accompanied by that of some beast for the fire in the evening.

Then again, there was something watching from the woods, it didn’t want to be seen, and it was content to wait it seemed, however Corbin wasn’t. So being the gentleman that he was he had politely turned his back on whatever it was to admire his architecture. If it was shy he was sure this would lure it out. Much like Tristain, Corbin was brought up in the village, living his whole life in Alturia had taught him how to survive, albeit his surviving involved less waiting than other types. He was much larger than most though, and as such carried an axe in stead of the traditional daggers associated with the woodsmen out hunting, he had a bow that he could use, but for short range stopping power, his favourite kind, smaller axes sufficed.

His mind wandered back to Tristain, they had been like brothers when they were growing up, and that was evident in the amount of time they spent together now. Although their interests now differed they spent a considerable amount of time together. They knew each other out and in, so when he turned down the invitation there was no hard feelings when he left with Tika soon after. Tika however was an enigma to him; she came originally from outside of Middlewood, apparently from an Illithican family of traders. He was too young to remember the night she had arrived as much more than a vague blur of a memory, as if from someone else’s eyes.

There was a rustling from the bushes. Corbin turned and fired an axe swiftly into the grass an inch before the creature making a succinct ‘thut’ sound. Smiling slightly as the terrified rabbit unfroze from behind the wrought iron and sped into the shrubs, Corbin stared into the woods. Damn, he thought, I hate the waiting…