Songs of War - The Unsung Heroes: Volume 1

Chapter 2

It seemed like days until the Voltaris finally got up and moved as one group towards the hiking path leading to the mountain peak. Tygren bent down and saw the small pit Aurora had made after diving in through the portal, but resumed walking with the rest of them off the mountain.

Aurora finally shook off all the displaced snow and began walking down after them.

She had lost sight of the Voltaris for a good while, but knew exactly where they were and where they were going. If the mountain she had spawned in was Mt. Velgrin, then they probably were traveling in the general direction of the city Belestar, a town on the controversial edge of Hydraphel kingdom. They seemed to be taking the clearly marked road, and it was one of the fastest roads that Ardonia had; it swerved around a shark-fin mountain which towered over the river that Belestar had rerouted for their personal needs. Aurora had never been there, but she suspected she was going now. She sauntered along for hours, being somewhat relaxed and looking at the fresh and alive Ardonia she hadn't seen in so long. Even with gray clouds and lightning striking every ten minutes, it was much better than what she had become quite used to - lava pouring, fire drenching the landscape.

When they reached the river, which was about two days' journey, she noticed that the Voltaris were there too, all wearing cloaks - probably to hide their species from the humans in Belestar. She dashed behind a rock close enough for her to hear what they were saying.

"I suspect one is in the vault," came the voice of Ingressus. "Let us stay in this town and we shall plan our return. Where is Hallux and his team? They should be here."

"They were to join us at Mt. Velgrin, but I suppose they ran into some trouble. We waited long enough," came the voice of Tygren. "Hallux will know to join us in Belestar."

"I have heard that the Ardoni champion has come in this area," said another voice Aurora didn't recognize.

The other hooded Voltaris looked at the one that had spoken.

"Entertain us then, Lucidius," said Ingressus calmly.

Lucidius spoke. "The Ardoni champion, Tempest Sendaris, was seen traveling through the area around Mt. Velgrin. Perhaps Hallux ran into him."

Ingressus appeared confused. "Tempest Sendaris? I have not heard of him. Whatever has become of Thalleous?"

"I killed Thalleous," said Tygren proudly. Aurora drowned her gasp with an immense amount of energy. Thalleous... is dead? Aurora knew of the great things the champion had done... but slain by Tygren? Aurora herself had hit him in the knee with her sword's flat side, and he had buckled down. She would have killed him if it were not for Ingressus, who gave her a terrible punch in the face and sent her spinning. She remembered the two of them then running to the mountain top, but she went unconscious for the rest of the battle. But how had Tygren killed Thalleous? Thalleous was just a young Ardoni... he was just Aurora's age, and he was still alive when Aurora had last heard, which was not long ago at all. The whirlpool of confusion thickened in her head, but she expelled it furiously as she followed the Voltaris wading through the river to Belestar's inset canal.

"Stay in the present, Aurora," she said to herself, not realizing what confusion that statement alone brought.

In Belestar, the Voltaris had gone into a bread shop. Not wanting to attract suspicion from them, as Tygren and Ingressus would most likely recognize her, she went into a tavern on the other side of the canal, and picked a table close to the window where she would be able to see if the Voltaris came out. Some humans looked curiously at her, but didn't take much more notice of her. The bartender was saying, "The Great War was a time of legend. Ardoni wielded those Songs of theirs, and everyone bravely fought the Deathsinger. Some say he has returned, all these years later."