Chapter 2
Onboard The Caliburn

The men all sat in a circle with Samus at the far right edge.  Across from him sat
the man that invited him in, although Samus didn’t know his name yet, Samus knew that
he would like this man.  The man sitting next to him spoke up, he was the one that had
tied Samus up.
“So, boy, what’s you name?”  He looked at Samus squarely, and for the first time
Samus noticed how rugged and unkempt he was.
“Oh, my name is Samus Maguso.  Can I ask what yours is?”
“Well, I would have told you anyway.  My name is Hart McNeil.  I am the captain
of this raggedy bunch.  And that there is Doech, he is our oarsman.”  He nodded his head
to the dwarf and the dwarf nodded back.
“Nice ta meetcha, Samus.”
“Likewise, Doech.”  Samus replied.  It was the first time he had ever spoken to a
dwarf formally.  Awkwardly, it brought a smile to his face.
“And that man there, the one with the goofy smile is Jonesy.  He doesn’t do much
but make our weapons.”
Samus nodded and Jonesy nodded back.
“Then there is old man Mathias.  He is our leader.”  He was referring to the
soft-spoken man that had told them to let Samus live.  “He don’t speak much, bet he has
a way with swords.  Why don’t you show him, Mathias.”
The old man stood and beckoned Samus to him.  His hand gesture was smooth
and uninterrupted.  He carried a wooded staff in one hand that doubled as a walking
stick.  His clothes were basic and very earthy.  Just a tan cloak and brown boots.  His face
was long and very wrinkled, the remnants of a beard still etched into his features.  At one
time this man could have been a noble, but now he was nothing more that a peasant.
Samus walked slowly over to Mathias and stopped a few feet away, facing him.
Hart spoke from behind Samus.  
“Hey, Sammy, you might want my dagger.  Here, catch.”  Hart tossed the dagger
he held in his hand to Samus.  Samus, not wanting to look like a novice, but not wanting
to get cut at the same time, wisely decided to let the dagger fall to the ground.  He kicked
his foot under it and flung it into the air.  He caught the hilt and looked at the dirk.  It was
constructed crudely of one piece of metal.  The weighty-ness of the sharpened steel threw
him off guard.  It was very heavy and unbalanced, an obviously rushed job from Jonesy.
Mathias spoke, “Throw the dagger at me, as hard as you can, anywhere you
choose.”  The soft voice of Mathias was so beautiful that Samus almost asked him to say
it again, just to hear him again.  Samus hefted the dagger into the air and it flipped
around, he then caught the blade between his fingers.  He looked at Mathias one more
time.  Mathias nodded.  Samus hurled the dagger at Mathias.  He wasn’t quite sure where
he wanted to aim, but never the less the dagger found it’s way to the midsection of
Mathias.  The whole knife seemed to phase through Mathias, as if he were a spectre.
No less than half a second passed and Samus just stood there, unbelievingly
thinking about what he just witnessed.  With all his might he tried to convince himself
that Mathias had moved and that he was just very quick, but for the life of him, he
couldn’t do it.  He eyes just disagreed with what his mind thought.
“What…”  Samus really wanted to finish his thought, but that was all he could
mutter.  A simple question that summed up his purpose of being at that moment.
“I am a sword-dancer, chosen boy.”  Mathias’ voiced surrounded Samus as he
stood there.  Mathias never moved an inch, but his voice darted back and forth around
Samus, every word from a different direction.  “Look at the back of your hand.”  The
voice of Mathias still echoed in circles.  Samus turned his hands over to look at them.
Nothing was different.  Then slowly a red streak formed diagonally on his right hand.  It
was a cut from a blade, but, once again, Samus had no idea what happened.  Just then he
caught a glimpse from his peripheral vision.  He stretched out his hand and suddenly
Mathias disappeared from in front of Samus.  Instead, he was now firmly in Samus grasp
to his left.
Samus jerked his hand away, shocked.  The men behind him gasped.  His head
became very heavy and his vision was clouded.  He felt the blood rush to his brain. He
just couldn’t take any more of these shocks.  Too many weird things in such a short time,
Samus figured.  Samus collapsed and everything went black.  It was becoming a trend for
him now.

***

Indeed, a trend.  Well, I'm sure you are wondering what a sword-dancer is, even if
you aren't I'm going to tell you anyway.  Eons ago a few chosen people were gifted by a
nameless deity to have powers beyond that of mortals.  Blah blah, very cliché, I know.
These immortals were chosen to protect those who asked it.  At any time, if someone was
being hurt then the sword-dancer was to throw himself into the path of danger and ensure
that the helpless were protected, no matter what the cost.  There became a time that those
gifted began to defy the god that granted them powers.  This lead to era called 'The
Dance of War'.  The gods struck all of the sword-dancers with blindness, and the
sword-dancers still defied them.  A great war between the two factions took place.  The
blind sword-dancers were easily overcome.  Those that were left asked for the help of the
dark powers that ruled in those days, and they were blessed with sight again.  These few
have lived in secret from society planning the day when they would mount another front
and finally defeat the powers that bound them with the curse of selflessness.  There are
rumors that since, other people have been chosen by the nameless deity, but those are just
rumors.  The powers of a sword-dancer are simple in design, but impossible for mortals
to grasp.  Incredible speed, immense strength, and the only way that they can die is to be
killed, plague and famine have no effect on them.  The creed of the sword dancer, “Live
for many, die for one, wound by blade, kill by justice”.

***

Cerant, surrounded by his men, stared at the ground, never losing sight of their
apparent saviors as they moved up the cliff side.  They were as agile as they were fast, a
perfect balance of grace and speed.  Their long robes fluttered in the wind, their outer
garments were the only things that could be seen until finally their faces came into view.
One was old by mans standards, nearing his twilight years, and the other was no more
than twenty, but both seemed to be in the same physical condition.  The younger face was
smooth and blemish free, almost noble, but the elder was war worn and weary, looking
worse for wear, but still able to contend with the elements.  Each carried a scimitar in
each hand, never sheathing them in the climb.  Several minutes passed in silence as the
men ascended the cliff, until they entered the cave.  Still no one spoke.
“Greetings and well-wishes.  Where is the one they call Cerant?” The older spoke
up.
“I am the one you seek, may I have your names?”  Cerant spoke in almost a
whisper, not wanting to disturb the balance of power in the cave.
“I am Karib, and this is my protege Jarib.”  The old man was the one who spoke
again.  “I assume that you all lived in this cave in fear of the beast below.  It is dead now
and your village is restored, you may return to your lives.  You will find your loved ones
there as if nothing happened.  Please go now, enjoy your lives again.”
There was a quiet murmur in the caves, but all at the same time everyone seemed
to believe what the man said.  The men, without saying a word, all rushed out of the cave
as fast as they could.  Down the mountain side until they reached their homes and
embraced their confused loved ones.  All of them but Cerant.  He had nothing, no one, to
return to.
“That truly is a miracle, can I ask why you decided to grace us with your powers.
Obviously powerful men such as yourselves have greater tasks at hand.”  Cerant, ever
cautious of strangers, especially strangers that hand out miracles without reason, asked
them.
“Would you have left your men if the beast was still here?”  Jarib spoke up for the
first time.
“No, but what does that matter, what do you need with a drifter like me?”
“You are going to lead us to a man, he is the ‘greater task’ you spoke of,” Karib
explained.
“I am, am I?  This is indeed a supprise, I had no idea I was that gracious,” Cerant
scoffed at the men for their assumption.  He was not a helpful man.
Karib took on a threatening tone, clearing his thoat before he spoke, “We could
have easily killed your men and forced you to take us, be grateful.”
“I see you have me cornered.  I have no choice then.  What is this man’s name?”
Jarib looked at Karib before answering, as if thinking about leaving the question
in the air, but Karib nodded in approval, “Hearoh.”

***

Bright white lights surrounded Samus.  Then nothingness.  He was starting to
regain feelings to his muscles.  He had great feelings of familiarity in the following
moments.  Everything he remembered from home came rushing back to him.  The sights
and smells of a life lost just days before.  Then a wind began to blow.  It brought with it
the sounds of childhood and innocence.  Then the sounds began to change, they became
shrieks and screams.  The sounds of limbs being ripped from their bodies and blood
pumping from open throat wounds.  One by one the screams died out and then finally
there was silence again.  Samus looked where he presumed the ground was.  Light began
to filter through the dark mist.  The mist that had surrounded him.  He began to see that
he was not in the forest anymore, but in the middle of a dirt road.  He looked around as
the mist cleared.  He saw around him an empty field then, as the fog ran from him like a
frightened animal, he saw that it wasn’t empty at all, but full of bodies.  Dismembered
and freely bleeding.  The patch of ground surrounding him was so blood-soaked that not
even the dirt could be seen.
All around him there were bodies, some charred and others mangled, but all void
of life.  Most were clad in rusted and decayed armor, but there were some, and these
were the ones that hurt Samus the most, that were in regular clothes.  The majority of
these were children, most younger than himself.  Samus couldn’t take it any longer.  He
felt he was kin to these people.  Then the wind came back.  This time it blew with a
vengeance, not ceasing to give Samus a breath, but constantly blowing against Samus.
Voices of hatred and disgust filled the wind.  They screamed in ancient
languages, but all said the same thing.  The screams became louder and nearly deafened
Samus.  Then it became clear to Samus what they were saying.
“ALL SHALL PERISH.  ALL ARE DOOMED.”
Then the wind suddenly stopped and there was quiet again.  The fog crept back up
and around Samus, giving off a feeling of warmth.  Samus welcomed it, he welcomed the
calm it brought to him, but most of all he welcomed the darkness.  The blackness that
would cover his eyes and blind him to this massacre.  Finally he would be free of the
guilt he felt for these people.
Samus got what he wanted.  The silence was plentiful.  The multitude of darkness
that he had welcomed was now eating away at his mind.  It seemed that, to Samus, that
he had been standing there in one place for an eternity.
“Well, Samus, it seems that we meet at last.”  
A voice beckoned him from his left.  Samus turned, half expecting to see
someone there, but it was just more darkness that looked back at him.
“How do you feel?  You must be disgusted at what you just saw.  All of the blood
and carnage.  Things you only read about in what few books you had.  It must have been
absolute torture for you.  Despite how much you hate it, though, you must learn to endure
it.  You destiny, if you wish to call it that, lies very near what you just saw.”  The voice
was moving around now, circling Samus like a bird circles it prey.
“Where are you?  Stop!  What is your name?”  Samus wasn’t sure where he found
those words at, but he liked the sudden confidence that he had.
“I am standing right in front of you, open your eyes.”
Samus had not realized that he still had his eyes closed.  He opened them, but
there was no difference.  Then he saw it, two white dots were there, suspended in
mid-darkness.
“Is that it?  Two white dots?”  Once again Samus spoke with confidence he didn’t
know he had.
“You wish to see more?  So be it.”
The mist thinned out and then disappeared.  Samus’ eyes focused and realized
that the white specks were, in fact, eyes.  The man who had spoken was now totally
visible.  He was tall.  His  skin was tanned and his hair was jet black.  He wore a robe
that covered the majority of his body, save his head, but Samus could still see the boots
beneath it.  Then suddenly Samus realized something very dire.  There was no ground
beneath the boots.  He was floating.  In fact, so was Samus.  He nearly fell backward in
shock.  He balanced himself again and realized that he was actually standing on
firmament, he was only seeing the ground several feet below him.  It took him several
seconds to get his mind to accept that there was ground below him, but even then he
thought it still best to just look in front rather than down.
Looking at the man he noticed something.  His age was indiscriminate.  He was
like the elves, you couldn’t tell their age just by looking at them, although this man was
clearly not of elf blood.
“What sort of trickery is this?  And I say again, who are you?”  It was more of that
confidence speaking.
“This is a view of my power, and my name is Elentari.”
“What do you want with me?”
“I want to show you your place in history.  You are destined to become great.
You are Chosen.”
“My place in history?  I’m just a kid what are you talking about?  And what do
you mean, ‘chosen’?”
“I cannot tell you more now, for our time is short.  Just know that you need not
terry long from home.  Many things have happened there since your departure.”  Elentari
was beginning to fade away and his voice was thinning out.  “Trust Mathias and befriend
Dmitry, he knows more than you think.  I will see you soon, then I will answer all of your
questions.”
Just as he came he disappeared.  Everything around Samus had gone dark again,
but it didn’t last long.  His true surrounding came into view, but it was not what he
expected.

***

“Janus, wake up,” it was Jarroh.  The two were outside, where Jarroh had carried
Janus to, and now he was trying to wake him from unconsciousness.
“What?” Janus was annoyed, the memories of what happened just now coming
back to him.
“We have to go find your bother.  We can’t mess up again.”  Jarroh’s voice was
dire.
“I know, do you know where he is?”
“No, but I think we can find him easily enough.  He should be near the tree in the
forest, it hasn’t been more than a few days.”
“OK, lets go.”
They turned to the road before them, it was sunset and the shadows were falling.
Instantly they disappeared, leaving in search of Samus.

***

“Good, you are awake.  I will go to others.”  A large creature left Samus’ side and
walked out of the room he was in.  The room was pitching and rocking.  Samus
wondered why, and then just gave up and assumed he was just imagining it.  He looked
up at the wooded planks above him, there wasn’t much to look at, but it was better then a
field of dead bodies.
A few minutes passed and the door to the chamber opened with a loud squeak.
Hart walked in and sat down beside Samus.
“So, my boy, how do you feel?  Top notch I hope.”
“I’m not doing too bad, but where am I?”
“You are aboard ‘The Caliburn’, it’s my ship.  I hope this room is all right for
you.  It may not look like much, but on such short notice it was the best we could do.”
“No, no, everything is fine.  I’m just a little confused.  This is your ship?”
“Of course, I told you I was a captain.  How did you think we got to the island?”
Hart laughed.
“I don’t know, I never really thought of it.  Who was that person in here earlier?  I
didn’t get a good look at him.”
“Oh, that was just Dmitry, I would have introduced you back at camp, but you
passed out on us.  He is the one that does all our hunting for us.  A real ox of a guy, not
very bright though.  Usually he keeps to himself, but for some reason he insisted on
watching after you.  He and Mathias took shifts.”
“Oh yeah, Mathias, where is he, I need to speak with him.”
“Whoa, not so fast kid, you just woke up from a weeks worth of sleep, I’ll be
surprised if you can stand up on your own.  Just lay down for a few minutes more and
then try to walk when you’re ready.  One step at a time.  I have to go tell them men to
hear towards the nearest port, you are going to have a feast tonight, I am sure you are
hungry enough for one.  Well kid, just relax and enjoy the trip.”
“I’ll try, and I’ll see you all outside in a few.”
Hart had already started for the door, but he turned around, smiling.  “You keep
thinking that, Sammy.”  Hart left the room and Samus laid there in bed.  Not too much
later the door opened up.  It was Mathias.
“So, boy, you are alive.  I knew you would be.  The poison on my blade tip could
never kill one of the chosen bloodline.  And I imagine you can walk around perfectly,
also.  All of you could.  But there is one thing I must ask.”
Samus just sat there. He was confused, not just a little bewildered, but genuinely
confused.  He sat there with a blank stare.  It was the third time he had been associated
with the word ‘chosen’ once by Elentari and now twice by Mathias, and he had no idea
what it meant.
Mathias continued, “Did you meet him?”  Samus knew who he meant, but he still
hadn’t realized that what he saw was no dream, but something far greater.  “You went to
his plane didn’t you.  You met Elentari the Black.”
“How do you know Elentari?”  Samus was still very much on the confused side of
the knowledge coin.  That coin wouldn’t flip for several years after this point, and even
then, nothing would be as it seemed.
“Elentari told me you were coming, I never thought it would be a boy no older
than thirteen, but you are here none the less.  I could tell by you eyes.”
“My eyes… you mean their color?  My brother’s are the same.”
“Your brother’s?  That is interesting.”
“Why?  Please tell me what you are talking about, I am confused.”  Samus finally
said what was on his mind.  He felt relieved that he might finally get answers.
“Unfortunately I don’t know much about what you want to know.  But I will tell
you.  Not right now though, tonight after dinner, we will steal away to a cave I know of,
there we can talk without prying ears to hear us.”  Near the end of that statement
Mathias’ voice trailed off and his eyes moved to a crack in the wall.  Then they drifted
back to the door.  “Come, let’s see the crew at work, it will be good for you to get bit of
sun.”  
“Very well,” Samus sounded disappointed, but it was all he could do, he really
wanted to have the answers now.  He stood up, like he knew he could, and walked across
the room following Mathias.  The door squeaked again and they strode out into the
sunlight.
The first thing Samus noticed was that they were no where near land.  Deep blue
water surround the entire ship, occasionally dolphins popped out of the water and then
went right back under.  The boat was moving at a steady clip and the rocking that Samus
had felt earlier was in fact the rocking of the boat in the waves.
The Caliburn itself was a mighty ship.  The biggest one Samus had ever seen,
although there had not been many.  The masts were so high that Samus almost fell over
trying to see the tops of them.  Attached to each on were huge white sails that flapped in
the breeze and moved the ship along.  
“Don’t just stand there, come, see the rest of the men, they will be happy to know you are
alive,” Mathias said as he motioned for Samus to follow him onto the higher deck.