Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) by Kayl Karadjian Page A

them to enter the vile woods. Despite their protest, however,
Raxxil proved far superior in strength, and the questing group
plunged into darkness.
    At once, Serraemas felt the atmosphere change
drastically as he stepped onto the desecrated ground. There was
hardly any sunlight; the treetops were dozens of feet high,
creating a canopy and blocking out the majority of the sky. The
only light came from the strange flora and fauna of several colors
that permeated the forest with glowing, dark auras. The vegetation
surrounded them forebodingly, though he did not detect anything
that posed a threat.
    At least, not yet.
    "This place hasn't changed at all", sang Zaranet
from within.
    Serraemas looked down as they continued walking
and noticed several small creatures that resembled lizards.
Splotches on their backs glowed purple, but a yellow glow emanated
from their underbellies. The odd animals were curious at the new
arrivals, though quickly scurried off when Serraemas neared
them.
    "Hey look, your cousins!" Raxxil mocked,
laughing heartily at the towrth that accompanied them.
    Serraemas heard Erendil sigh and place his palm
on his forehead with a loud thud, but, surprisingly, heard a soft
chuckle make its way into the still air shortly after.
    "Keep your guard up", reminded Serraemas,
shooting his allies a cursory glance over his shoulder.
    They continued to wade through the dark woods in
silence for several hours, constantly wary at anything that moved
or emitted a strange sound. There seemed to be no end to the odd
creatures and plants, but to their fortune they had yet to
encounter anything that sought human flesh. He noticed flying
insects buzzing about that emanated a bright blue light from their
tails, among other things. He knew most of them were harmless, but
nevertheless she would have something lying in wait.
    Something dangerous and unfriendly.
    Serraemas stopped and looked around, attempting
to ascertain where exactly they were and which direction they
needed to go. He glanced over his shoulder at his companions.
Erendil studied the twisted environment keenly every chance he had.
Raxxil, on the other hand, seemed to be bored. The fiery
elementalist stared back with an incredulous look, but had decided
to hold his tongue while they were moving. An incredible feat,
really.
    "Don't tell me we're lost", Raxxil remarked
cynically as he rolled his eyes, breaking his long silence.
    Serraemas looked around again. "We're not lost.
Let's stop here for a while."
    Erendil gladly obeyed with an expression of
glee, and immediately jumped to explore every nook and cranny in a
wide radius.
    "Don't get lost now, lizard-man!" yelled Raxxil
provocatively. He strode to where Serraemas stood and crossed his
arms on his chest. "I don't suppose you’ve got a map for this?"
    Serraemas shifted his weight onto his left leg
and wrapped his thumb and pointer on his chin, still thinking
pensively about their location. To his dismay, however, there
seemed to be no indicators around them that would offer some
reprieve.
    You’re always quite the trickster when it
comes to playing games.
    "So what are we going to do?" asked Raxxil. In
inconspicuous impatience, he tapped his plated foot repeatedly.
    "Calm down”, replied Serraemas. “We just need to
look for hints. She wouldn't pass up a chance to toy with… us."
    Raxxil ran his fingers through his brown hair
and scratched his head. He furrowed his brow, as if solving a
complex conundrum. Finally, he looked back at Serraemas with a
smirk. "Hold on there, big guy. You two’ve got a history
together?"
    "We are… acquaintances," replied Serraemas
simply, careful in his choice of wording.
    "Right", jeered Raxxil. Instead of pressing
further, he meandered about in search for clues, and Serraemas did
the same.
    Several minutes passed, but his attempts to
garner any information that might be of use were in vain. He sighed
and turned around, finding Raxxil perched atop a high branch. The
fiery