Rated PG – Mild Violence
“The
Net”
It was a dark and stormy night. Val's mercenary
group was preparing to defend the village of Trask from a large group of Orcs.
The village had several magical items and the leader of the Orc horde wanted
them for himself.
Tactically, it was a nightmare. The torrential
downpour had reduced visibility to less than ten feet, and the howling of the
wind made it impossible to hear the man next to you, much less the advance of a
horde of Orcs.
Val left his second in command, Sun Wolf, in
charge and went to consult the local seer. It was something that he was loathed
to do. His teachers had often told him that magic could be a powerful ally, but
to rely on it was a fool's errand. The seer, Nihil, was a young, attractive
woman. She has been blind from birth, yet able to scry things that only the
mightiest mage could conjure.
Val reluctantly entered her dwelling and asked
if she could see if the Orcs would attack tonight.
"You do not have to be a seer to know that.
Valraven Palindrake." She smiled warmly, the candlelight casting an eerie
glow onto her ebony hair.
"No. You don't." Val studied her
closely. "Why are you not afraid, seer?"
"I have no reason to fear. You are
here. I have already foreseen the outcome of this battle."
Val exhaled through his nose. "Bah! No
battle's outcome is set." He turned toward the door to leave, stopping
before opening the door. "This is
why I don't deal with magic." With that he disappeared into the night.
Hours later, the attack had come and gone. Val
had lost a small portion of his men, Sun Wolf being one of them. He would mourn
the loss of his friend later, but for now the battle was over. The Orcs had
been beaten resoundingly. The leader of the horde had been kind enough to
donate his head as a pike ornament. It stood just outside the town's walls in
order to warn others who would attempt to attack the city. Most of the Orcs had
been hung from the battlements by their own entrails.
Shortly after the high sun meal, Val returned to
the seer's home. He entered without knocking.
"I knew you would return." She said
before he opened the door completely.
"More magic?" Val asked sarcastically.
"Yes. Do you know why you are
here?"
Val did not fully understand why he had felt
compelled to return to the seer. "No, I don't."
"Wait here." She said. Nihil
disappeared into the back of her home, reappearing a short time later with a
large box. She handed it to Valraven. It was deceptively light.
"What is this?" he asked, opening the
box warily. He pulled out a large, metallic net. It was large enough to hold
any truly big animal. It seemed to be made of silver, or some other metal of
the same color. It had almost no weight.
"It is a net."
Val rolled his eyes. "I can see that.
What kind of net?"
"It is a silver net."
Val eyed her coolly for several breaths.
"Why give it to me. Your rulers have already paid me well."
Nihil grew quiet, her mouth creasing to a small,
thin line. "It is not payment for this battle, but a gift for a future
one. You must never lose this gift. You will need it in the future. Sooner than
later, I'm afraid."
"For what?" He asked. Not liking the
turn this encounter had taken.
"That, I cannot say. It is an enchanted
item. It is yours." She sat as she spoke. The look on her face told Val
that she would say no more.
He rested his hand on the hilt of his katanna
and pondered her words. Seeing that there was nothing to be gained by staying,
he left a few gold pieces on the table she sat at and left. He gathered his
men, tended to the injured, and left the village.
To
be continued…