Chapter 1: The Message, Finished

The Dark Blade

Book 1 of the Ordeerian trilogy

Chapter 1

The Message

Age 401

"So Eli, what's the plan today? Practicing knife throwing? No... wait, we did that yesterday," Derew, a Dias,1 said. "...Eli? Eli! Are you even listening to me?"
"Eh, what was that? What are we talking about?" Eli asked seemingly coming out of a daze. Eli was also a Dias.
"I knew you weren't listening." Derew said. A flash of light from the trees drew their gaze and they saw Evile the Skidoll coming towards them, his necklace reflecting the light on their faces, probably on purpose.
"You're lucky your friend didn't run into a tree." Evile said. He looked up into the sky, "Beautiful morning, isn't it?"
"Anyways what were you saying Derew?" Eli asked ignoring Evile completely. Eli got silence for an answer. "Derew?" Eli looked around, as did Evile.
"Where did he go?" Evile asked.
Looking around and still ignoring Evile, Eli called out. "Derew where did you go?"
"Ugh, somewhere... I think." A voice said. It seemed to come from the trees.
"Derew! Where did you go?" Eli repeated still looking around.
"I don't know I think I'm in a hole somewhere." Derew said.
"Derew keep talking we'll find you eventually." Eli said.
"No need I'm right behind you." Eli and Evile jumped and then turned around.
Derew was half inside a bush and pulling himself with his arms. Eli rushed over and helped Derew out. After Derew had stood up and brushed himself off he said, "Hey Eli I found this in the hole there. I don't recognize the script." He passed Eli a scrap of parchment.
"I don't recognize it either, it looks like an Ovon script but not quite it's neater then that, and tidier then our script. Which means it's probably..." Eli looked at Evile.
"Skidoll? Really? Let me see!" Evile said trying to reach the parchment.
"Why would we let you read it?" Eli asked.
"Because... because I'll... I'll give you something." Evile stammered.
"What could you give us that we would want?"
"I'll give you... my necklace." Evile said removing it from around his neck to hold it out in front of Eli's face.
"No, that won't work because there are two of us." Eli said.
Evile sat down to think, both Eli and Derew waited.
Slowly Evile started to chuckle, then he began to laugh. "You think trick will work for me? You should have taken my necklace while you had the chance."
"What do you mean?" Derew asked
"You want me to read it. You also wanted a profit from it but now it's too late. Hand it over and I'll read it." Evile said still chuckling at his cleverness.
Eli slowly held out the scrap of parchment in resignation. Evile quickly took it from his hand and read it mumbling the words.
"Well?" Derew asked. "What does it say?"
Evile smiled and turned to them, "What would you give me to tell you?"
"What do you mean?" Eli asked, "Give it here."
"Here, it is worthless to you without an interpretation." Evile said. Derew held the parchment and stared.
"What do you want?" Eli asked.
"Wait Eli," Derew said pulling him to the side, "Why do we have to have Evile read it?" Derew asked as quietly as he could. He kept half an eye on Evile.
"Because," Eli answered just as quietly, "I hate the Skidoll and would rather deal with this one alone in the woods then with one in the village."
"Fine but what do we have to offer him?" Derew asked still whispering.
"Leave that to me I've just had a brilliant plan."
Eli walked over to where Evile had sat down propped up against a tree. "We have come to an agreement. You will tell us what it says for the exchange of knife throwing2."
"Ah, yes that would do nicely except there is one other condition that I would like to add. When we open the treasure I will get half of it."
"What no way would you get-" Derew started.
"Deal!" Eli interrupted holding out his hand.
Evile took it and pulled himself up with it. He then held his hand out to Derew. Derew took it reluctantly and shook also.
"Now hand it here and I will read it." Evile said with a glint in his eye.
Derew handed it to Evile and Evile held it up and read in a dramatic voice.
"It reads:

The Hole you have found holds a treasure

One that subdue all the species if wielded right

It will be revealed when both keys are found

The first Key is a small square

The second is two connected rings with a gem in the center

Only with both will the weapon be revealed."

Derew and Eli stood in silence while the revelation of what it was saying hit them.
"Is that saying what I think its saying?" Derew asked still stunned.
"How could it not?" Evile asked while laughing. "Enough money to rule the species!"
"Money?" Eli asked. "What makes you think its money?"
"What else could get all the species?" Evile asked still laughing.
"A blade of unspeakable power?" Derew suggested.
"Something like the Dark Blade?" Eli asked.
"The Dark Blade is a myth." Evile still laughed. "The stories say that the Dark Blade was locked away and hidden."
"What if this was where it was hidden?" Eli asked crossing his arms.
"Well..." Evile stopped laughing and looked at him. "Do you think so?"
"What else could it be?" Derew asked. "It was said that when wielded in the right way the Dark Blade would stop armies."
"But what way would the right way be?" Evile asked.
"Doesn't matter, what does matter is that there will only be one blade, which one of us would have the honor of using it?" Eli asked
"Me of course, there is no question. I own the treasure by right of the deal and by the right of owning one of the keys. That would mean I get the blade." Evile said grinning.
"Wait first of all there is no saying that it is the Dark Blade, and secondly there was something else you wanted." Eli stretched and stuck his hands behind his back. There was an evil glint in Eli's eye as he said "Knife throwing."
Derew stepped back watching in shock. Eli pulled his knife out and was about to throw it when Evile jumped in and smacked the knife out of his hand. They went down in a tumble and Evile managed to get on top. Eli pulled on Evile's fur trying desperately to get him off.
Evile started throwing punches and landed several before Derew jumped in and managed to pull him off Eli's back. Evile turned on Derew and tackled him. Eli grabbed his throwing blade and scrambled up. He watched Evile and Derew tumbling on the ground and threw his blade.
There was a sickening thud and Evile slumped over dead. Derew scrambled out from beneath Evile and stood up and backed against a tree breathing heavily. Completely shocked by Eli's murdering in cold blood Derew was unable to find his voice.
"He did want knife throwing." Eli said chuckling trying to lighten the mood.
Derew wasn't amused and found his voice. "Eli, what have you done?" He asked quietly.
"Calm down, Derew no one will ever know we just bury him out here and no one will ever know where he is." Eli said.
"No. How could you kill him, he was..." Derew's voice trailed off.
"What? A traitor? A greedy thief? He deserved it." Eli said. He bent down and ripped Evile's necklace off. "He won't need this anymore."
"What are you doing? He's dead, show some respect" Derew said.
"Remember what he said, about this being one of the keys to open the door? I'm pretty sure he was right." Eli said holding it up in the light.
"What? You want to try to open this... this thing?" Derew asked in anger.
"Why not?" Eli said thoughtfully. "It will be easier then getting this first key."
"Should we mark this spot so we can find it later?" Derew asked trying to think of a way to discourage Eli's mad quest for power.
"Simple" Eli said he pulled his blade out and put an x in the tree. It left a red stain from still having Evile's blood in it. "That will let us know where it is when we need it later. Now we must go to the Archives3."
"For what?" Derew asked.
"The location of the second key." Eli said.
"What are you going to do? Pry it from their cold dead fingers?" Derew asked
"Nonsense I'll offer to buy it and then if that doesn't work we may have to use force."
"As much force as you used on Evile?" Derew asked pointing at the lifeless body on the ground.
"He would have been a worthy ally if he hadn't been so impulsive."
"He was acting in self defense. You were already trying to kill him before he jumped at you."
"If that's what you think you saw." Eli said with a smirk.
"That's not..." Derew let out a grunt of frustration. "I'm leaving."
"Why?" Eli asked in surprise. "We have our plan."
"No you have your plan." Derew said, he then turned around and walked away.
"Derew wait!" Eli called out.
"No find the key on your own and without violence and I'll help you." Derew continued on.
"Fine I will and when I have the Dark Blade I'll show it to you and let you see its power. I'll have a great adventure doing it to!"
Derew continued walking.
         1One          of the four species of Ordeer. The Dias are shortest of the four          species which isn't saying much cause they're still tall, they          are almost normal people except that they have large feet. The          Tallest Dias was three sewl and six pents (two pents are around one          inch, while a sewl is around two feet, this means six feet, three          inches for some who don't want to do math). The next race is the          Ordeerians they claim to be the original people in Ordeer but no one          knows for certain. They are a solitary species covered in scales.          They don't have tails but they have claws. Because they are          solitary it is unknown their tallest person but they average around          three sewl and twelve pents (around six feet six inches). The          Ordeerians most social thing that they do is run the books of          archives (more in footnote 3). The next species is the Ovons. The          Ovons are the tallest of the four species the tallest was three sewl          and twenty-four pents (around seven feet) they have the appearance          of a cat except for the tail. Finally we come to the Skidoll/Dion          species. This species is the mix breed of the Ovons and the Dias          (there is no Ordeerian species mix). Because they are half breeds          they are usually rejected by the Dias and Ovon species. A Dion has          the appearance of being an elf, because they have the Ovons shape          (including the ears) but the Dias skin. The Skidoll are the Dias          shape (big feet, normal ears) but Ovon fur. Both have the average          size of three sewl and twelve pent (six and a half feet).
         2          Each species were taught a specific trade of fighting for there was          frequent fights between species that would break out and Cendows          (more in foot note 2, Chapter 2) from the woods. No one was ever          killed but usually injured during both tussles. The Ovons focused on          sword play and fighting. The Dias focused on knife throwing. The          Dions and Skidoll tried to become better at both but only found          themselves to be average. Ordeerians have their own trade but it is          unknown. Usually species carried around their weapons.
         3          The Archives was a system that kept track of all belongings and          transactions that was run by and thought up by the Ordeerians. They          had come up with it for their interrelationships with all the other          species and because they wished never to have a problem with          thievery.