Blue Crystal

Kingdom of Crautlan

Kingdom of Crautlan

A dark figure flew in the darkening sky, as it reached the edge of the cliff, it slowed down the flapping and landed clumsily. A chorus of cawing was heard. Shaking its body as if haughty at their imprudence, it made is way towards the crow that was perched on the highest tree branch.

‘Your Highness’, it bowed as low as it could.

‘Coldwit, have you found him?’

‘Yes, Your Highness, he is here.’ Coldwit shivered slightly. He hated being sent out to scout, he would have much preferred to stay and charm the lady birds senseless but unfortunately, they didn’t like him and avoided him like plague. In the end, he obliged only because he had been threatened to have his wings cut off.

‘Where is he?’

Resisting the urge to preen his itchy side, he bowed again, ‘He is with the elf.’

‘Go.’ With that, Coldwit was coldly dismissed. Bowing again, he flew off to his tree that was furthest away from the others. He hated everyone of them and wished he could settle somewhere else. This place had been formed because they were all outcasts. He knew power was on the mind all the time. Why else had he been sent out to scout every other day to see if the one in the prophesy had arrived?

He recalled the day he saw a stranger lying injured on the ground. Curious, he had went closer to inspect and hopped away when he moved slightly. Satisfied that he was not going to wake up so soon, he edged in closer. As the stranger moved again, this time, Coldwit saw the face and knew that the one spoken so often in the prophesy was here. It was too soon but he didn’t have time to dwell on it as he heard the sound of pounding hooves. Quickly, he took off to the skies, lingering long enough to know that it was an elf who was approaching the injured stranger.

He hadn’t wanted to return knowing that Stinkbone would not appreciate the fact that the elf had gotten there first but they had no way of confirming until the crows had reported to the Dark  Mages. He hated the Dark Mages with a vengeance. Just because the crows didn’t have magic, that didn’t mean they had to do the ground work. Pecking viciously at his food, Coldwit cursed them. Flying had been tiring and he wasn’t in the best of moods.

Amaro Siphon wasn’t a man to be trusted yet he was a Dark Mage who was to be feared by all. Stinkbone was obsessed with power and as a crow, he knew that only by partnering with someone more powerful, or the means of gaining power, would they be able to take over the kingdoms and lands. They had just taken over Deepdell with the help of the Dark Mages. The land was rich with jewels that the Amaro was pleased with. The crystals would be helpful in enhancing the magic that they were practicing.

The crows were to guard over the humans to ensure that the humans harvest the gems and send over to the crows whose unique ability to differentiate fake from genuine. So far, only one had tried to pass off a fake emerald that looked real and was petrified as a warning in the middle of the town.

Coldwit disliked associating himself with the guards and avoided as much as he could. He preferred scouting and wondered if he could one day escape from the clutches of Stinkbone. He had been happy to scout for new lands to explore or conquer without much hassle. This plotting was ruffling his feathers and he wished they would do something soon.

The prophesy seemed to be moving at a fast rate considering that the stranger was already here. Coldwit shook away the thoughts as he really didn’t know what the prophesy was about except that with a stranger, it meant change. This change was something that the Dark Mages and Stinkbone didn’t like and they wanted everything to remain the same. To Coldwit, change might mean that he would no longer be under Stinkbone and it would have been a good idea.

Night had crept in and it was time to sleep. He settled down and was drifting off to a good sleep when someone pecked him. Unfolding his wing, he swatted away the irritating beak but it persisted. ‘What!’ he snapped.

‘Coldwit!’ It was Hornclaw.

‘What do you want, Horn?’ Coldwit didn’t bother to call his full name as he was grumpy that his sleep had been disrupted.

‘Come with me. Now.’

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep unless he followed, he took his time to spite Hornclaw and flapped his wings a few times before taking off in the dark. ‘I can’t see anything!’

‘Follow my sound, you idiot.’ Hornclaw sounded irritated and demanding at the same time. Finding no choice, Coldwit tried to follow as best as he could and with some help from the moon light. Finally, they landed on the edge of the cliff. Hornclaw entered the cave and Coldwit followed him in. Once they entered the deeper end of the cave, Coldwit felt warm. Someone had lighted some fire and when he entered a room, he found that a small campfire was in the middle while torches lighted the sides.

‘Hornclaw,’ someone said. ‘You have brought him? Are you certain that we can trust him?’

Coldwit was insulted, he was trustworthy and had never betrayed anyone’s secret; not even Stinkbone’s to anyone else. How dare she question my integrity! he fumed.

‘Where are we?’ Coldwit demanded.