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pronunciation guide for chapter 3- Syril (sear-ill)
Koti (kotee)
Shanahea (Shan-a-āya)

Chapter 3- Friendship kindled.

Earen was as a lonely shadow while he walked along the snow covered path. The medallion he was given on his wedding day clanking against his cold armor was the only sound besides the soft whispers of the wind was the only noise in the frozen wilderness. He grabbed it to stop the noise, every clank making him think of her. Earen turned it over and read the inscription, “To my only love, my savior, Earen”. He let it fall to his chest and clank and kept walking.

He continued walking until he saw a column of thick, black smoke rise up in the air over a small valley. He ran down the hill until he came to the outskirts of the town. He saw women and children running around, men dead on the ground and some fighting off what looked like a large group of nomads. Earen drew both swords and ran to help the remaining men. Blocked one blow from a small nomad, no older than 15, but he looked like he had seen more battles than his age. He rolled as a large man ran forward with a two handed axe screaming crazily. He shot a bolt of light and his collided with his back, exploding in a spray of blood and flesh. He stabbed another in the stomach, and the nomad bit his hand. He smacked the old man with the butt of his hilt in the face. The man slide off the blade and moaned on the ground. Then Earen turned as he heard a women’s scream. A nomad was trying to take advantage of a young woman. Earen ran forward and socked him in the face, and knocked him to the ground.

“You disgust me” Earen said and shoved his sword through the man’s throat. Earen wiped the blood off on the mans rags and checked to see that the girl was ok.

“you alright?” Earen asked, Sheathing his swords.

“yes, thank you stranger” she said, tears coming down her cheeks as she stared at the bloody mess. Then a portly man with the look of a farmer came up to Earen and shook his hand. The daughter ran over to the man and put her head on his shoulder.

“Oh father it was awful, that nasty man tried to, tried to” but her words were lost in tears. But then she pointed at Earen.

“But he saved me” she choked up, then went back to sobbing. Then an older woman came over, and took her away to a small cottage.

“Thanks stranger, they would have taken my daughter had you not come to her rescue” he said as he patted Earen on the back.

“Anything you need? It’s the least we can do” He said as he walked Earen back to what he guessed was his house.

“Food rations would be nice, and if its not too much trouble, I would like to borrow a horse” Earen said, looking at the stable.

“Sure! Sure you can.” He pointed at one of the small boys around him, “Koti, go get Syril, and some food for our good friend” he said, and the small boy ran off. The boy came back a minute later with a white horse and some pouches with food. The horse was pure white, not a dark spot on his body except for his nose and hooves. He was fit and young, and he was brushed nicely and washed.

“wow, its beautiful horse” Earen said to the boy as he gave him the food. Earen jumped onto the horse and waved to the little boys, the man, and the daughter. Suddenly he felt a set of small hands tug on his leg.

“Pease, sir, will you take good care of Syril, he my bestest friend in the whole wide world!” the little boy Koti said, spreading his arms wide at the end of his sentence.

Earen laughed and ruffled the kids hair, “I promise to take good care of him” Earen said, and shook his little hand.

Earen dug his heels into the horse’s sides and it galloped off, going very fast. They rode until they stopped at a fork in the road. Earen jumped off and decided to make camp. He pitched his tent, and then huddled with a piece of bread in the near darkness. He remembered his horse and got up to take the saddle off. He unstrapped the saddle, and he noticed small gold lettering stitched on the side. It read “Syril” in a fancy calligraphic writing.

“well Syril, we better get some sleep, big day tomorrow” Earen said as he threw a blanket on top of Syril. The horse snorted and bobbed its head. Earen huddled back up against a tree and wrapped himself up in his cloak as he heard Syril start to neigh and stood up. Earen sighed then got up to calm Syril, but he felt it too. Something was wrong. Earen grabbed his swords and crouched down. Then he heard “clop, clop clop” of horse hooves. He then heard a heavy thump of heavy boots and the clank of armor. Earen signaled Syril to stay quit and Earen started walking forward in a crouch.


“come out Earendur, son of Shanahea so that I may see the slayer of my brother” an icy voice called out into the pitch black night. Earen stood up and walked out into the middle of the road, looking for the voice, but he saw nothing.

“Come Earendur, son of Shanahea, let’s see how well you do against a master of shadow” the voice said. Then out of the corner of his eye, Earen saw the glint of armor in the moonlight on the left side of him. Earen rolled to the left side and did a low sweep, and he felt it make contact with metal and then he heard the body crash to the ground. Earen got up and his hand was glowing, and he saw a dark figure, similar to the one in the church. Earen charged forward, but the death knight simply waved his hand in Earen’s direction. Suddenly, Earen’s vision went out. Then he was in a room, and it was dimly lit by one candle. He took a step forward and felt his foot kick something. He looked down to see Leana, lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds. He fell to his knees to touch her, but he couldn’t, he could not reach her, she started drifting away, and he couldn’t touch her

“No, no, no! Please! I need her! I can’t live without her! Anything but this!” he cried. Suddenly, a bright light flashed and a cloaked figure stood next to him.

“Son, please, this isn’t real, snap out of it” the figure said as it removed the hood.

“Mother, she is gone, I failed” he said, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Shanahea knelt down next to him and put her arms around him, Son, this isn’t real. Do you really think that you would fail? This girl is your life, don’t give up” she said in a soothing voice. “Now get up and fight, she isn’t gone” she lifted him up, and it felt like he was breathing for the first time. He was back in the forest, the death knight laughing evilly. Earen stood up, and picked up both swords, and the death knight stopped laughing. Earen ran at the death knight, and tried to slice at his arm. The death knight jumped to the side and swung at Earen. Earen jumped back, but the sword tip caught his arm, making a gash from his elbow to his wrist. Blood started to come out, but Earen continued on. Earen shot a bolt of light and it hit the Death knight in the shoulder. He grabbed his shoulder, which was out of its socket and popped it back in place. Then he charged forward. Earen expected a sword attack so he held up his swords, but the death knight grabbed him, and kneed him in the stomach. Earen spat up blood almost instantly but didn't throw up.

“Let me tell you something Earen son of Shanahea, know that she will suffer greatly at the hands of my brothers, and that she will beg to die before the end” the death knight said, grinning evilly.

“You, you will pay, you an all of your, ‘brothers’ will fall by my sword” Earen said, and the two blades started crackling with electricity. Earen charged, and the death knight blocked. Earen’s swords broke the death knight’s blade, and cut him in half.
The death knight had a surprised look on his face, but then he had a smirk.

“You may defeat me, but not the great Kel-Marken, he is the greatest of the 7 and will defeat you” he said, and with that fell into two pieces, the black blood flowing fast over the grass. Then the body started to smoke black, rancid smelling smoke. Earen picked up the body pieces and threw them into the forest.

“You ok buddy?” Earen said as he wiped his blades on the grass. Syril snorted and bobbed his head, and nipped at his hair, a sure sign of affection. Earen patted the horse on the nose, gave the horse a few sugar cubes and sat down to catch a bit of sleep. He looked up at the now cloudless night and the stars.

“Thank you mother, I couldn’t have done it without you” and with that he tucked his head down and sleep took him.

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[Sig and avy by me!]