The Ocean Hearth (A "Hymns of Evermorn" Story) by Lionelson NY

The rocky walls of Dalhar had quite a golden glow upon the sunlight of the evening. It was about twenty feet high, stretched along Dalhar’s border and connected by five towers that stood two times higher. It stationed many Sye’rah, all preparing their bows and daggers.

Keira, dressed in black leather and the traditional black cloak was inspecting her comrades in the southern walls. She paced and saw priestesses enchanting the arrows and hunters sharpening their blade.

But while she was reaching the central tower, she saw a familiar old starborne man, vested in hunter’s cloak himself. He was examining a dagger given to him by a priestess. It was large with green runes engraved on it, housing a Terazine ore with the same colour. A green stone band wrapped his right arm.

“An-Ashosh?” She called out. And the man turned and nodded to greet her. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous!”

“Dalhar’s spirit is broken, Keira. If I am to have any purpose left in this world, it is to show our people that starbornes don’t shy away from oppression!” his voice was rather dry.

“You should be the one giving commands from afar, not fighting on the field. Your life is too precious compared to ours!”

“What Ashosh would I be if I cower from the blades of my enemies?” He said, fiercely. Laia gulped to see such fire in his old, hazy eyes.

“So be it, An-Ashosh. But please don’t run into enemy lines. Stay here where it’s safe.”

“You of all people should know of what I can do, Keira. You have nothing to worry, child” he gave a wrinkly smile.

Keira could only give an insincere smile in reply when suddenly, a faint horn was sounded from the east! The deep pitched sound would make any beast in the Blackwoods tremble. It came from the far eastern towers, warning them of the arrival of their adversaries. Then another blow was heard, this time it was nearer. Until finally, the horns of their own tower was blown.

“Get in position!!!” Keira ordered.

Immediately, the archers lined up at the edge of the wall, nocking their bows upon command.

From the quiet of the woods, they could hear the marching of men getting closer. Keira’s eyes were keen at the treelines, ready to give the command to release the arrows. Cold sweat ran down her neck. This was her first battle as the head huntress. Praying in her heart, she desperately asked Alana the Moon Goddess for help.

At that moment, like a lion would pounce at its prey, a battalion of men rushed out of the dense forest with swords, shields and wooden ladders. Archers followed them close behind! They roared as they sprinted towards the walls while the Eleazarian banners waved proudly behind them.

But the iron-cladded men did not terrify Keira. She immediately gave the order to fire. And so, the archers released their pull, shooting their arrows into the sky then rained on the humans, killing dozens at once. Keira quickly ordered the archers to nock their second arrows.

Unfortunately, the human archers took advantage of that short window of time to return fire. The rain of arrows now came upon the starbornes. Many of them were wounded by it.

As the exchange of arrows intensified the battle, the humans finally managed to place their ladders on the wall and climbed up. When they reached the top, they pulled out their swords and began to strike on the starbornes.

The Ashosh saw it all and was full of rage. Keira could hear her king’s grunting as his breath became more rapid. All of a sudden, the Ashosh took off his cloak and upper garments, revealing his old skinny body and started to chant.

Mekhisya an ib sha’rae lakhi! He chanted as his dagger glowed bright. Suddenly, his scrawny body started to shiver as if he had a fit. Foam came out of his mouth as he crouched in pain while punching the floor to withstand it.

But with every spasm of his muscles, he became larger! Even Keira, who just saw the humans charged towards them, was even more terrified to see her Ashosh in that state.

The old starborne king screamed in agony while his body was slowly morphing until finally, he transformed into a huge muscular bulk of a starborne! He grew thrice as tall and twice as angry. His veins gushed beneath his pale blue skin and the contours of his hulking muscles were hard as a rock! His eyes glowed white while ivory peaked out of his lower jaw and smoke breathed out of his nostrils.

Grinding his teeth and gripping his dagger tight, he roared and jumped down the high wall! He crashed his landing on a few men while the impact stunned the others around him. Not wasting time, he dashed towards the humans in baffling speed while throwing his fists and swinging his dagger like a wild animal! Just a single hit from him was enough to knock fifteen men unconscious! Even the starbornes were terrified to see their Ashosh enraged.

Such was the royal ability of the Ashosh. It was a spell passed down from Ashosh to Ashosh to ensure that Dalhar would always be protected by its own king. Drawing strength from the green Terazine ore, pure Galaviere would run through his veins and every fibre of his being.

Inspired by her leader’s strength, Keira led some of the Sye’rah to jump down the wall as well. The others stayed on the wall to fight the humans who had breached their defences. But by their numbers and speed, they made a slaughter out of the humans on the ground

Exchanging blades and arrows, the battle was a bloody one! Humans and starbornes alike fell down from the walls; both sides were the victims of the other’s steel! But the starbornes had the upper hand. This was Dalhar! Their city and home! The Sye’rah’s playing field for generations. And not to forget, they have a strong, transformed Ashosh for a leader.

Finally, with the last of the humans decapitated, the southern wall’s victory was in the hands of the starbornes! And to their fortune and blessing, the same could be said for the siege on the east. The starbornes cheered in victory!

Unfortunately, this was not how it was in the west. For although the starbornes were expecting a siege on its walls, it turned out that the cunning humans had used a ship to sail around them and stormed into the north-western bay of Dalhar which was unprotected!

Led by a Commander, Torren Black, the starbornes were caught off guard. This single fleet of humans massacred on the starborne city from within. Finally, they reached the Square of the High Towers and wreaked havoc, raiding many homes and killed the Sye’rah who were stationed on the streets.

Meanwhile, Keira, the Ashosh, and the rest of the Sye’rah were singing joyful songs of victory as they returned from the walls. But their glad hearts became sombre when they were greeted by a stream of blood running down the pavements of the city.

The head huntress trembled. Gasps and whispers were heard behind her, followed by dreadful sound of moaning. But despite the fear of what that they were about to see, she led the Sye’rah to march on to the Square of the High Towers.

And there, they saw Commander Torren and his army, lined up in perfect formation. Their shield and swords smeared with blood as well.

Keira, filled with rage, immediately summoned the Sye’rah to fight! Then in a single voice, they bellowed as they charged against the human army!

In an open battlefield like this along with the many civilians on the sides, the archers had no choice but to abandon their arrows and stuck to their daggers. With the swift cut of their blade, they slit the throats of many men.

The Ashosh, who was silent the whole time, didn’t want to miss out on the battle. So with all the strength in his morphed body, he brutishly pummelled through the human soldiers like piles of brittle wood!

But as powerful as the Dalharians were, the humans also have their fair share of strength. Their armour was strong and their swords were sharp! They landed their blades on the starbornes’ flesh almost effortlessly.

Alas, as the time clocked by, the sun was finally setting while the moon was ushered into the sky. By the soft glows of twilight, the Dalharians were instantly filled with courage and might! As for the humans…they were already warned to never encounter a starborne at night.

“Conceal yourselves!!!” Keira gave a loud order.

Upon the call, the Dalharians’ daggers glowed within their grasps as they bodies fade until they were unseen! For now, the magic of the moon has concealed them from the eyes of the humans.

“On me!” The commander ordered. His army immediately circled around him. The night was suddenly silent and the men became petrified. Only their breaths and the soft clanks of their armour filled the air.

But all of a sudden, one of the men let out a scream and collapsed. Then another. Followed by another. One by one, a soldier’s throat was slit; their blood gushed out of the veins on their neck, staining their silver chest plate.

The starbornes slowly trimmed the layers of men that surrounded Commander Torren, leaving him in constant fear. Even some of his soldiers questioned his own loyalty and tried to run away. But those who dared to try would only be stabbed by an invisible blade.

As the night grew darker, the starbornes picked up their pace. Torren’s defences were wearing thinner by the second. His soldiers screamed and begged for mercy, but not a single one was spared.

In the end, the whole square was bathed in the humans’ blood. All of them mounted on a pile with only one man left standing at its summit: their cowering commander.

“Show yourselves, cowards!” he challenged. But in truth, he was the one whose tremors can be seen up to his sword.

By that call, the starbornes finally revealed themselves. There were hundreds of them surrounding Torren.

The Eleazarian commander immediately felt the wind blowing into his bones as the gulp of his saliva painfully travelled down his throat. But the starbornes just stood still, watching him furiously.

He was curious as to why they left him alive. At this point, he just wanted his death to be as quick as a slit on the throat. But he realized that was not what the Dalharians want from him; for he noticed the silhouette of the hulking Ashosh standing proudly right behind him.

“I didn’t know starbornes are honourable enough to engage in one to one combat” Torren grinned while catching his breath, pretending he was still a courageous man.

“You question our honour when it is you who ambushed my city like cowards!” The Ashosh stated angrily in a growly voice as he paced around the commander.

“There is always honour in war, Dalharian” Torren commented, locking their stares at each other.

“This is not war. This is a massacre!” the Ashosh yelled.

“Is there a difference?” The commander smirked. He knocked his shield with the broad side of his sword to make loud thumps while he shouted, trying to intimidate Ma’al. But it bore no effect.

The Ashosh, breathing fast and deep, grasped his green dagger and dashed at the speed of sound! Like a flicker of light, Ma’al appeared in front of Torren, followed by a splinting sound of flesh.

Noticing blood was oozing out of the edges of his lips, Torren looked down and saw that Ma’al’s dagger punctured his belly.

He grasped his gloved hand on Ma’al’s thick, bare chest. Puffing out the last of his breath, he tried to push the monstrous king away but failed.

Or so Ma’al thought.

For with the last of Torren’s strength, he pierced his sword straight through Ma’al’s torso! The steel passed into his navel, its tip emerged from his spine.

The starbornes gasped as both their Ashosh and the Eleazarian fell onto the stony floors of the Square.

Keira quickly ran towards her Ashosh.

As the blood oozed out of his gut, Ma’al’s body gradually shrunk back to its original size; old, thin and wrinkled. The head huntress quickly pulled out the sword out of him and pressed her hand on the wound. But the old Ashosh just smiled and brushed Keira’s messed up hair with his tremored hands.

“Huntress…Even without this wound…morphing back into my old form would have killed me anyways” his voice was airy and forced.

“No!! An-Ashosh, don’t speak!” Keira was worried. “Priestess!! Get the healing salve!!”

But Ma’al just shook his head as blood was starting to spill from his mouth.

“Our Galaviere is running low, Keira…Spare them well” He coughed blood one more time. Finally, his old wrinkled face became still and cold, staring blankly into the night sky.

Keira could only hold back her tears, shaking her head. She closed the Ashosh’s eyes to give him peace when suddenly Torren gave out a weak laugh.

“Glad to stab you where it hurts” Torren grinned, his mouth spewing with blood. Keira was not amused.

In wrath, she climbed on top of Torren and pulled out the Ashosh’s dagger from his belly. With both her hands on the dagger’s grip, she violently stabbed him in the face! Not once, not twice. But as many times as the number of tears she just shed! All the Sye’rah watched as they heard the stabbing sounds change from cracks and crunches into mere mush and splashes.

When Keira finally stopped, Torren’s head was already minced into a mere lump of flesh. She looked around and saw many dead bodies. Friends and foes alike. Flies already hovered above the cadavers.

Keira turned to her left and saw Mu, walking towards her with a towel. The Tarsya was right over there, hands over her mouth and with eyes like a river, watching her love laying lifeless on the floor.

Keira stood up and faced Mu, taking the towel from her and wiped her hands clean. In agony, she whispered:

“This is not a victory…”