Valsurstagt: The fight for the throne, part 2

I opened my eyes, and blinked sleepily at the sunlight. Then I sat up, remembering last night and how I was most certainly not back in my little cellar room at the palace.
Very strange, I thought. Everything had been very strange. I began to have questions about the whole experience. The first was, how did Maornya know about me, and how in the kingdoms had she gotten hold of my kivae? The next one, was how had Tatyana known about me and Maornya?
The second was easier to answer, Tatyana was the queen, she probably had spies everywhere. My guess about Maornya was that she had used magic, but it was only a guess.
I considered Maornya, wondering why I had been at all scared. Yes, she was a sorceress, but she looked to be not much older than me, and with my kivae, I was protected. I really had no reason to fear.
I stood up, and shook out my cloak and dress. It was a rather warm day from the time of year, and I took off the cloak, feeling hot.
Looking about, I began to wonder where I was. The mountain covered the northern half of Valsurstagt, and extended into Acheron, I could be anywhere. That might prove to be a problem. If I was lost in the mountains, it would hardly be easy to stage a fight for the throne.
With the cloak over my arm, I began to walk towards the edge of the valley. I had no idea which direction I was going in, but supposed this would be as good as any.
I was lucky. When I came over the ridge, I looked down, down, into a deep gorge, and there were the peaks and spires of a city. I started down. I needed to find out where I was, first of all, and then I needed to find a place to stay until the trial of Vanderlak, when I could prove my claim to the throne.
While I walked, I thought how everything had changed so much in one short night. It was odd that I was not more confused, but everything felt natural, as though this was really my destiny. To be Queen of Valsurstagt.

***************************

I walked down the side of the gorge for the best part of the morning, and arrived in the city when the sun was overhead. As I approached, I took precautions by slipping the kivae under the collar of my dress, and pulling my hair down over my ears. I stowed the cloak behind a rock, so I shouldn’t have to carry it, and walked into the city.
It was not much different from the great city of Vanderlak where I had been born. Except, the atmosphere seemed slightly different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
I came to an inn, near the center of the city, and slipped in. I was famished. I hadn’t eaten since noon of the previous day.
“What will it be then?” asked the innkeeper, when I sat down on a stool at the counter. I understood the words, it was the same language that I knew, but with a very different accent.
“Breakfast please,” I felt in my apron pocket, and pulled out a few copper yrasts (that is the currency in Valsurstagt).
“Where do you come from?” asked the innkeeper, staring. “That’s one coin that I’ve never laid eyes on before. Sorry, but I only take durks and turins.”
I was in Acheron! The only country who used the turin currency. I had traveled hundreds of miles in that second.
“Oh, thank you anyway,” I said, getting up, and making for the door.
“Hey!” he called after me. “What about that accent? Sounds Valsurn to me.”
I turned, feeling a bit uneasy. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two men get up from a table near the door.
“We don’t like foreigners,” one slurred. He was obviously more than a little drunk.
“That is hardly my problem,” I said, feeling irritated.
Then, they began to advance on me, and I bit my tongue. That had not been a good thing to say.
Before I could think, the bigger man, took a punch at me. It hit my jaw, and knocked me back onto the floor of the inn. I gasped, and held my chin as it throbbed.
“Yeah,” said the other. “We don’t like stuck-up foreign misses who waltz into our city pretending to be miss somebody-from-somewhere.”
I stood up, and began to walk toward the door.
“Ah, no you don’t,” said the first thug, grabbing my arm. “We need to teach all them dirty Valsurns a lesson!”
“You let go of me!” I hissed, trying to yank my arm away.
Before I knew what was happening, the second thug pulled a knife from his pocket and slashed at my hand. Once, twice, a large bloody X etched on my palm. I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, I could only stand there stupidly, looking at the dripping red marks, and feeling the most horrible pain I had ever felt in my life.
Then, my feelings came back, and I ran. He had let go of me to handle the knife. I slammed out of the door and kept running. I tried to pull out my kivae, but my unhurt hand was clutching the wounded one, trying to stop the bleeding. I heard shouts.
“She’s getting away!”
“After her! filthy foreigner!”
In terror, I put on a burst of speed and careened round a corner, right into a wall. A dead end. I ran to the wall, and began to climb the rough stones, the blood of my hand leaving smears wherever I touched. I heard running footsteps, and felt a yank on my ankle.
I lost my weak hold, and fell to the ground. I landed with my foot underneath me and heard a sickening crack. My ankle was on fire. There was the man over me, with the knife. The knife was falling toward me. I tried to scramble up, but could hardly move, I couldn’t make my foot move. My eyes watered in pain, as I felt the knife tear my flesh for the second time, all down my back. My eyes shut inadvertently, and I collapsed to the ground, seeming to lose control of my limbs.
I felt a pool of blood forming underneath my back, from the ghastly cut. They’ll finish me off now! I thought in terror, and tensed for the final blow. Now I’ll never live to be Queen.
But instead I heard a shout. “Stop!” more footfalls.
“Is she alive?” another voice.
“I’m not sure, those filthy drunkards, murdering a girl.”
“I’m all right,” I whispered, trying to open my eyes.
“Don’t try to speak,” said the first voice.
I heard the words faintly as I drifted into blissful darkness and knew nothing more for a long time.

Gould - Greftyle 2

DEWQU

The Gothic architecture surrounding Whren was horrifying in the rain. Silhouetted by the lighting behind it, it made the gargoyles adorning the churches and buildings look as if they were moving. Strange mist floated in the cold air making it hard to see anything at least five feet away. the people around the province said that the mist was emanating from the ground coming from nowhere. But they where wrong. The people of greftyle were not superstitious but when it came to this strange mist, rumors started to fly. Alien lights shimmered in the sky, casting creepy shadows of hobos and muggers hiding in the alley way,waiting for a tired person to walk by. a person with money. the same person Whren was waiting for. the man about to jump from at least 20 stories up Most of the lights were out it was 12 o'clock at night but, Whren was nocturnal and escaping town and waiting for a man named Brasst Gould. Whren was only ten years old and was waiting for Gould because he knew that Gould was the most dangerous man in Greftyle and because somebody might be looking for him now that the four men he had just murdered had been found by non other then Captain Faust Xavier, the most celebrated man in the history of Greftyle and the chief of police. although Whren had good reason to kill them, he didn't think that it would change Xaviers mind . The men Whren had murdered had killed his family two years ago.

* * * *


Prime Minister Saul Tyson was studying in his study. Reading the papers in front of him. Saul did not want to read the papers in front of him because he had had enough bad news for decades and did not need anymore. But, he read the papers anyway. The aforementioned papers stated many different paragraphs,words,and letters that can be summed up in 5 facts:

1. Tessol was overrun with werewolves.
2. every human being has been wiped out
3. werewolves have the brain of a 5 year old child with an affinity for human flesh.
4. Greftyle was going downhill and if Tessol is not cleansed, Greftyle will be overrun with even more werewolves in 1 year.
5. Watch out.
   

Tyson did not understand the last part until he noticed that it was written by someone else,most likely the man sitting on the window sill behind him. "Boo" the man said making Tyson nearly jump out of his skin. "GOULD!" yelped Tyson "WHY ARE YOU HERE!?". Tyson had enlisted Gould A few times before to do his dirty work for him (I.E. kill offenders). "Why?, because Wraith wants you dead and, I don't want me dead" Gould said calmly and grinned after the last word. "Wraith? said Tyson backing up "why would he want me dead? Doesn't he have better things to do then ask you to kill me?". "Like I'd tell you" Muttered Gould as he pulled a long serrated sword out of A sheath.
"D-don't Do anything stupid Gould!" Tyson Yelped and jumped backward in to his desk. "Stupid? Gould said slowly and smiled. "I Won't do anything stupid" Tyson turned and ran to the door , but Gould wasn't fat or ugly. Gould cleaned his sword silently and jumped out the window, landing on his feet 20 stories below.

* * * *

Whren grinned and started walking toward the man who just jumped from the 3rd story of the prime ministers study. Gould glanced at whren without thinking twice and pulled him into an empty alleyway. "What do you want boy?" growled Gould "Why do you want to me?".
"because I need a teacher!"said whren happily"and you're the best,or so I'm told"
who told him that? thought Gould. probably frost, he has children."your mind wanders doesn't it?"the last thing Whren remembered was Gould grabbing his neck and slamming him to the ground. Hard.


* * * *

Whren woke up in a large cavern. Lantern hung from the ceiling along with a few skeletons.
A large table sat in the middle of the room. It was covered in half empty mugs. A single plate sat on the side of the table that faced him. Whren got up and walked over to the table. A huge book sat there open to a page that read:

WENDIGO
Wedigous spectrarumus

SIZE:5-6 feet tall
WEIGHT:150-200 lbs
SPECIES:Spectral
STATUS:Endangered

The rest Whren could not read (he had never been good with words). He closed the book to read the cover. It Read:

A MODERN BEASTERY

A GUIDE TO THE WILDLIFE OF TRELLARYA

By Aduem Sulfurr

" 'Ello! ".Whren Jump and whipped around to see a small furry man standing on a ledge in the wall "What?" Whren stuttered. "I said 'ello." The small man said talking with a strange with a accent. "Who are you?" asked Whren. "I'm Phrout." "Phr-what?" Whren said once again. "You asked my name and I told you-It's Phrout."said the little man "Oh, I see." replied whren "where am I?". "I'm not s'posed to tell you." Phrout said. Whren sighed and turned around. He glanced back down at the book. "so you're awake!" said a voice from behind whren. He turned and saw Phrout running out the door between the legs of Gould. "sorry about the slamming. what other way would you prefer me to render you unconscious?" asked Gould smiling. " where am I?" repeated whren. "The caves. outside of deju." said Gould. "why?" asked Whren. "you have alot of questions young sir." said Gould "I have asked the men if they think we should take you in. And there's only about twenty or so of us left. The king has either killed or captured us. So we have agreed." "why has the King been killing you?" asked whren. " take a wild guess." Gould said sarcastically "we're assassins. We kill people for a living." "Oh" said whren quietly. "You have alot to learn." said Gould.

Timekeeping

In order to give the writers more time to develop thier characters and stories, There is an official change to Trellarya timekeeping. One year in Trellarya is now equal to four months real time. That means that it is currently midsummer. That's all for now.