Chapter 11 6 страница

Feeling a presence walk up next to him, Jon stopped gazing at the sword and found Obara standing next to him. " Is that Valyrian steel? "

" Aye, " Jon nodded, glancing down at the golden lion that'd been engraved into the pummel of the sword. " Brightroar if I had to guess. "

Lowering the blade, Jon made to rejoin Lord Nox, but found himself halted as Obara grabbed him by the arm. The next he knew; she had yanked his mask down as well as her own and her lips were pressed against his. The act caught him so off guard that he couldn't even form a response before she pulled away from him. " Don't expect that to happen again, " Obara said, stepping away from him, her eyes hard as she reaffixed her mask in place. " That was a 'thank you' for saving my life. Nothing more, boy. "

Jon felt his face heat from his neck to the roots of his hair as several wolf whistles and cheers came from all around him. Dacey and Asha were both openly laughing at him and the Small Jon and Eddard were giving him looks of approval. But the one he feared the most was Prince Oberyn. He had just kissed, his first kiss, the Prince's daughter. But instead of looking angry the prince looked, pleased. And when their eyes met, the Red Viper merely gave him a cocky grin before he turned his attention back to Lord Nox and the unconscious Lannister.

" So, now that that bit of entertainment is out of the way, " Prince Oberyn said loudly, " what do we do with the Lannister? "

" We take him with us. " Lord Nox stated, rising to his feet and holding a hand over the still form of Gerion Lannister.

" I'm sorry, I think I might have misheard you. " Prince Oberyn said, shaking his head and working a finger in his ear. " I believe you just said something incredibly stupid like we are going to be taking a Lannister with us. A Lannister who just a moment ago tired to cut my daughter down. "

" No, you heard me correctly. This man has survived a year or more in this land on his own and he was able to keep his mind intact. Or at least mostly intact. That alone piques my interest in him. " Not a single word was spoken amongst the men and women as Nox stood between Prince Oberyn and the downed lost Lannister. " I know your history with House Lannister and believe me I understand your anger all too well Prince Oberyn. But can you honestly tell me that this man before us had anything to do with what happened to your sister, niece, and nephew? And if you need another reason, then think of how much it will twist a knot into Tywin Lannister's gut when he learns that it was a Martell that not only helped to save his brother's life, but also helped in returning Brightroar to House Lannister. After all, a Lannister always repays their debts, do they not? "

The movement was slight, so slight that if one were not watching for it, they would miss it. But it was the slight shifting Jon felt that drew his eyes to Lord Nox's right hand. The same hand that made a quick cutting motion with his forefinger barely a fist width. But it was unmistakable. " They do, " Prince Oberyn nodded. " Very well, sorcerer. I'll play your game for now. But mark my words: should that Lannister even look my direction in a manner that displeases me, I will cut him down without hesitation. "

The tension quickly bled out of the area as Oberyn, followed quickly by Obara, marched away from the downed Lannister and towards the edge of the wrecked ship where their boats were tied off. " Umber, Karstark. See to it that the Lannister and his sword are placed into one of the boats. " Lord Nox commanded the two men.

" Aye, sorcerer, " Small Jon nodded, walking up to the Lord Lannister before seemingly thinking twice and stopping. " Should we secure him? Don't feel like turning my back on the man. Even if he's unconscious. "

" There's no need for concern. " Lord Nox waved off his concern. " I've placed him into a coma. One that won't lift until I want it to be. He's as safe and secure as he will get. The rest of you get back into the boats. We've already wasted far too much time here as it is. "

" If you say so, sorcerer, " Umber nodded, grabbing the Lannister under the arms. " Karstark! Get your thin arse over here and lift his legs. Don't feel like carrying this fucker on my own. "

Watching as the everyone slowly started making their way back towards the boats, Jon waited until they were mostly alone before approaching Lord Nox. He recognized what Lord Nox had just done. It was a technique called 'Force Persuasion', and it was used to dominate the mind of a man and make them think whatever you wanted them too. And it was a technique that Jon, his brother, and Lord father all found to be without honor. And it was a technique that Jon swore he would never use. " Lord Nox…"

" You saw it, didn't you? Either your observation skills are increasing significantly, or I'm getting rusty. " Not trusting himself to speak, Jon nodded. " You still have reservations on using certain techniques I have taught you. You must cleanse yourself of these thoughts of what is honorable and socially acceptable. Only then will you be able to fully access your full power and thereby know the correct path to take. "

" But…forcing someone to do what you want, controlling their mind. There is no honor in that, " Jon said lowly, not wanting the others to hear their conversation.

Nox's face turned towards him, his unseeing eyes seemingly peering into his very being. " Tell me, Jon. What is more important: to be honorable or to do the right thing? Going into a battle and causing the death of thousands. Or using a Force Persuasion to make the commander of the opposing army stand down, thereby avoiding the battle all together. "

Jon didn't like this. Every time he tried to argue aspects of right and wrong with Lord Nox, he always felt like a fool. Something that his Lord Father had confided that Nox did as well to both himself and Robb as well. " But forcefully controlling someone's mind is just…wrong. The gods gave us free will. And it goes against the gods to alter that. "

" A Sith uses every tool at his or her disposal, Jon. " Nox replied calmly. " And even a Jedi isn't afraid to negotiate to get others to see the better path. Remember our lessons back in Winterfell. Not everyone you meet will fall into your ideas of honor, let alone what is right and wrong. Holding onto your honor is all well and good, but do not let it be your downfall. And if it makes you feel any better, what I did to Oberyn was not a Force Persuasion. That man has far too strong of a mind to be susceptible to such tricks. No. What I did was merely…nudge him in the direction I wanted him to go. But his anger over what happened to his family back during the Rebellion clouds his judgment. I merely gave him a moment of clarity as it were. Now come. We still have quite a bit of ground to cover before we reach Valyria. And I'm still counting on you to be my eyes while we go. "

Watching his Master walk away, Jon frowned, his thoughts heavy. 'Maybe…Maybe Lord Nox is right. Honor will also be important. But if you could save lives by using…less then desirable means… Then does that mean that, in the end, you did the more honorable thing by taking the path that save lives rather than costs them? Gods, no wonder father said he avoids conversations of ethics and honor with Lord Nox. ' Setting his thoughts aside for the moment, Jon followed Nox over to the boats so that they could continue down the river towards the home of the dragon lords.

After leaving the wrecked Lannister vessel behind, Nox had the men and women with him set a brisk pace through the rivers of Valyria. While the river itself had an unnatural calmness to the surface of the water, it was not free of obstructions. The most frequent of which belonged to wrecked ships that had either run ashore on rocks beneath the surface of the water or were partially to almost completely submerged under the water. And while most were easy to bypass, there were a few that were blocking the river in such a way that it was next to impossible for them to navigate around them, leaving it to Nox and Jon to lift the wrecks out of the water and move them off to the side.

While the wrecks were a nuisance, given their consistency, they were barely even a footnote in the problems that they were encountering. Without sunlight, with the oppressive weight of the dark side, and having to divide his attention in protecting the minds of the men and women with him, it was next to impossible to tell the actual time of day or night. Leaving them with only exhaustion earned from rowing to mark the passage of time. And with exhaustion came the need to rest. Unfortunately for them, however, resting was confined to within the boats where half the men or women onboard would rest while the other half rowed. Thankfully, it was an arrangement that everyone was willing to follow after two failed attempts at resting off the boats.

The first chance they took was at least an hour or two past the Lannister vessel when they came upon another shipwreck, this one was like the Lannister ship in that it was mostly intact. Against a warning from the Force, one Nox tried and failed to impress upon the others, they tied their boats up to the wreckage and the crews disembarked to catch some much-needed rest. While most of Nox's expedition Force started unloading the boats or setting out food, one of the sailors who'd been most adamant about needing a rest had found a comfortable spot against some rotten wood to lean back against and catch some rest. A rest he would never wake from.

One of the other sailors had made to shake his seemingly sleeping shipmate awake, only to let out a scream of terror as the resting sailor fell face first onto the deck. His back covered in fist sized slugs that had burrowed into his flesh and were in the process of making a meal out of his internal organs. It didn't take much convincing after that for the expedition to pack back up immediately and get back onto the boats and continue on their way.

The second time had been when they'd found a solid rock formation on the side of the river. Not sensing any dangerous lifeforms, or even any lifeforms for that matter, in the immediate vicinity, Nox had agreed to go ashore and let the expedition rest for a short while. And while he was correct in that there were no dangerous animals nearby, the reasoning as for why that was became apparently rather quickly as one of the men found a small stream feeding into a pond just off the edge of the river. For reasons that Nox could not comprehend and despite his warnings about not trusting anything coming from the land, the sailor had cupped his hands into the stream and taken a drink of the water.

By his own admission, Prince Oberyn was a master of nearly all things related to poisons. But even he was surprised at just how quickly and violently the seeming innocent looking water took effect. Within a minute of drinking, the sailor was projectile vomiting up everything in his stomach while blood began to drain from every orifice on his body. There had been no hope for the man. And the only thing that could be done for him was a quick death, which Nox granted with a twist of his wrist which snapped the doomed man's neck.

Thankfully, after losing four of the expedition before the close of the first day, or at least what Nox assumed was the close of the first day, things began to fall into a routine and normalize. Or at least normalize as much as possible considering they were traversing through a land that Nox was quickly coming to think could make even Korriban seem tame in comparison. The members of the expedition, no longer willing to get off the boats for any reason, had settled into their current rotation where half the remaining members would row, and the other half would rest while either Jon or Nox would take lead, guiding them through the darkness of Valyria. It was boring. But at least it was a good type of boring in which there wasn't a significant risk of death.

After nearly a dozen rotations of rowing, Nox felt something shift in the Force. It was similar to the shift he'd felt when they first came close to the peninsula, only in reverse this time as the constant dark weight pressing on his mind seemed to almost lift ever so slightly. A sensation that caused almost the entire expedition force start as Jon quickly rose from his seated position next to Nox. His excitement so intense that he was almost shaking in place.

" Master Nox, " Jon breathed beside him, no doubt having felt the same thing he had.

" Tell me what you see, acolyte. "

" There's – We're passing by a breakwater! Just like in White Harbor! "

Lowering his defenses on the minds of the expedition slightly, Nox refocused himself so that he could see with unclouded eyes through the Force once more. " We're here, " he said, a smile coming upon him as he turned to face the expedition as he spoke loud enough for all to hear him. " At long last, Valyrian Freehold. The home of the dragon lords. "

His words were like a drink of water to man dying of thirst as the expedition, almost as one, shot to their feet, nearly tipping the boats in their exuberance as they all watched as they passed by the sphinx topped breakwater leading into what he hoped as the harbor adjacent to the Old Valyria.

" The fog is lifting, " Prince Oberyn stated, the man staring around in wonder. " It's still dark…but the fog has lifted. Why? "

Frowning, Nox concentrated on the barrier they'd passed just before the breakwater. The barrier was, surprisingly, made up of the light side of the force, and seemed primarily to serve to keep things out. But not physical objects, considering they were able to pass through without incident. Which then raised the question of just why it'd been erected and what purpose did it serve? 'The latter answer seems obvious, ' he thought as the members of the expedition began rowing with a renewed purpose as their end objective came closer and closer. 'It was erected to keep out the dark side taint that has covered the land. But why that in specific? And when was it created? During the Doom? Before? Or perhaps survivors created it to keep themselves safe? '

The last thought gave Nox a moment of pause. As unlikely as it was, there was still the possibility of survivors in this dark side infused land. Deciding it was better to err on the side of caution, Nox let his sense roll over the landscape. He could sense the barrier of light, a large dome that encompassed almost the entirety of the ruined city just before them. But inside of the dome he could sense nothing. No life. Not even that belonging to insects. The city might've been protected from dark side that'd covered the land, but it was truly a dead city in every sense of the word.

" I see a dock ahead! " Asha called out, her fledging power enhancing her vision just enough to see through the darkness and the light fog that covered the water.

Her eyes proved true as within a few minutes of near frantic rowing the expedition let out a cry of joy and relief as a set of stone piers appeared through the fog. " Bring us up to the nearest pier, " he ordered. " Get the ropes ready to tie us off. "

As the first boat carrying Nox, Jon, Obara and Oberyn neared the stone pier, the sailors onboard immediately jumped off the moment they were close enough and began to tie off the boat while the other four boats found separate parts of the pier to tie off onto.

Stepping onto the pier, Nox took a moment to shake out his legs to get the blood flowing back through them after sitting for only the Force knew how long. The rest of the boats emptied rather quickly as everyone was rather anxious to get back onto relatively safe land. Or as safe as the land could be on this peninsula.

" By the Drowned God and gods of old and new…" Asha murmured, coming up and standing beside him as the two peered into the ruins that was Old Valyria. " Sorcerer…if I could give you my eyes for a day to see this, I surely would in return for this gift of bringing me here. This…This will be a tale none on the Iron Islands will ever hope of topping for a hundred years. "

" No need to gift me your eyes, Asha, " Nox replied, stepping towards the base of the pier and onto the stone walkway that led towards a street running between the ruined houses of Valyria. " I can see just fine. "

And he could. Valyria, just like almost all larger cities on this world, was filled with buildings that were stacked nearly on top of each other. But that was about where the similarities ended. For while White Harbor, Braavos, and Volantis all had buildings made up of stone, wood and mud, every single building within Valyria was made of a black stone substance that a had faint echoing of the Force within. Almost as if this entire city were made in manner similar to the Jedi and Sith Temples on Tython and Korriban respectively.

But that was about all the good he could say, as evidence of the Doom that cause the fall of Valyria was very evident in hardened lava lining parts of the streets. Most if not all the once perhaps majestic buildings had been damaged or outright destroyed. And most telling of all was the settled and very thick layer of ash that nearly went up to his knees, and in some places even deeper.

" So, it was a volcanic eruption hat caused the Doom, " Prince Oberyn observed, poking at the hardened lava resting against one of the houses.

" What in the gods' names is a…volcanes…. whatever the fuck you said? " Small Jon mumbled, staring down at the hardened lava, poking it with the tip of his sword.

" A volcano is a fissure in the surface of the planet leading down to a pocket of molten rock, magma or lava if you will, " Nox explained, taking a moment to further examine the immediately area in as much detail as he could. " Over time, pressure from natural gasses will build up beneath the fissure and eventually the fissure will rupture, spewing forth the magma, volcanic ash, and gasses that'd been pressurizing beneath the surface. A small eruption can affect anything with a mile or so of the eruption point. However, a large-scale eruption can affect everything within several leagues. Falling ash thick enough to choke a man. Lava running across the ground hot enough to burn a man to death just from passing too close by. Falling rocks and melted stone larger than a carriage falling from the sky. What happened here was no doubt a large-scale eruption. "

Everyone, including Prince Oberyn, stopped and stared at him. " Are you sure you have never been to the Citadel, Sorcerer? " Oberyn asked, shaking his head. " You speak with the knowledge of an Archmaester who has forged enough chains to weigh a man down. "

" If…If such a thing caused the Doom…then are we safe even standing here? " Eddard Karstark asked uneasily. " What if this…eruption thing happens again? "

" Unlikely, " Oberyn answered before he could. " A volcanic eruption on this size is believed to happen only once every several hundred years. At least that is the theory proposed by the most learned men in the Citadel and confirmed by scholars in Essos. So, there shouldn't be any concerns of us getting caught in another blast anytime soon. But…this cannot be all that caused the Doom. "

" Why not? " Nox's acolyte asked, his tone curious. " It looks like everyone here died from exactly what Master Nox described. "

" Because it is unlikely that a volcano caused the breaking of the peninsula, " Nox answered. " There is only one other such recorded event similar in history. The tale of the Children of the Forest breaking the Arm of Dorne to try and prevent the First Men from crossing the land bridge from Essos to Westeros. "

" So, you're saying someone broke the peninsula of Valyria just like the Children are said to have broken the Arm of Dorne, " Prince Obery summarized. " An interesting theory, but one that you are not alone in thinking. One of the Archmaesters in the Citadel, Marwyn, brought forth that same theory some years ago. And he was nearly laughed out of the Citadel and strip of his chains just for suggesting it. But looking at this place, perhaps he truly was on to something. "

This was not the first time Nox had heard of this Archmaester. 'Marwyn the Mage', Maester Luwin called him. A name he had garnered for his near obsessive research into the arcane arts. 'The more I hear of this particular Archmaester, the more I am inclined to invite him to Winterfell to speak with him. Or perhaps even make a trip to the Citadel. The library is said to be the only one that surpasses the library of Winterfell. ' " Yes, I do believe that something caused the Doom, or at least kickstarted it. "

" Then, why didn't they flee? " Jon asked. " I mean, they had to know something was going on. Couldn't they have outrun the eruption? And whatever or whoever caused it? "

" Possibly. But I think they had more on their minds than simply fleeing once whatever started the Doom happened. " To accent his point, he pointed off to his right and with a gentle wave of the Force, created a small gust that parted the mist at least momentarily.

What was revealed made everyone gasp. And the few swords that were not drawn were suddenly pulled from their sheaths and held at the ready. Barely fifty paces away from them laying across the destruction of several stone buildings were the two dragon skeletons. At least he believed they were dragons given what he knew of the creatures. Each creature was nearly half the size of the Sea Wolf with a wingspan that could rival the great Northern ship. But what was most curious was not the fact that there were two dragon skeletons that had crashed into several homes and presumably died upon impact. No, what was most curious was the fact that one dragon clearly had the neck of the other in its powerful jaws and had not let go even as they crashed and died together.

" Put those down, " Nox commanded. " They're dead. And even if they were not, I doubt simple swords and clubs would be enough to even make those things blink. "

Keeping his spear held level, Oberyn moved through the ash towards the two skeletons. " They were battling one another, " he noted, coming to the same conclusion as Nox. " Civil unrest and infighting during a volcanic eruption…I wish I could say I am surprised. But what little history remains of the Valyrian Freehold would say that this would be a normal occurrence. "

Turning around, he motioned towards the dozen sailors that were trailing behind the main group. " You lot stay here at the docks. Do not venture beyond eyesight of one another. And whatever you do: do not touch anything with your bare hands. Not until we have a chance to examine it better. And keep an eye on the Lannister. Should things go tits up, we might need to awake him for his sword arm if nothing else. " "

The men nodded, needing little encouragement after seeing the corpses of the two dragons, before backtracking the short distance to the boats. Down nearly a quarter of their manpower, Nox took a pause to search the area once again. This time he was focused more of his power into the buildings, piercing through the strange stone that seemed almost resistant to the Force. And then he felt it. A slight resonance within the Force that nearly had him jump in surprise. 'How could this be? '

" This is strange, " Prince Oberyn observed, his gaze pointed skywards as if he were trying to pierce the darkness looming over their heads.

" No shite, " Small Jon muttered, shaking his head. " We're standing in the middle of fucking Valyria of all places…what hasn't been strange so far? "

" Not that, " Prince Oberyn shot back hotly before pausing and recollecting himself. " Well, in part it is that. But listen. What do you hear? "

The rest of the expedition stopped in their tracks and turned their heads skywards. " I don't hear a fuckin thing, " Small Jon muttered, breaking the silence.

" Exactly, " Oberyn stated as if it were the most obvious thing. " No birds. No wind. No creatures scuttering about. No rippling of the water. Nothing. Even on our way through the cursed land to reach this city we could still hear the sound of wildlife. But here, here there is nothing but silence. "

Nox was seriously starting to like the Prince of Dorne. The man appeared carefree and reckless. But, in reality, he had a very keen mind that made him dangerous both on and off the field of battle. And while he might not be exactly what Nox was looking for in an ideal rival to keep him sharp, he was close. " Jon, " Nox called out to his acolyte. " Reach out with your senses and search for anything in the area that feels…off. "

His acolyte gave him a quick nod before shutting his eyes. Nox could feel the young man reach out through the Force, grabbling blindly as he tried searching for anything. 'Going to need to work on this more. ' Nox thought with a frown as he watched Jon search through the Force. 'He's reaching blindly. Searching without a pattern and backtracking over himself without even realizing it. At this rate, I'm going to have to forcibly direct him in the location of the resonance if I want us to keep moving at a reasonable pace. '

Just as he was about to do just that, he felt Jon's senses sharpen as he honed his attention onto the resonance Nox had found. " There, " he said, pointing towards the resonance with his eyes still closed. " There…There is something in that direction. "

" Well done, " Nox commented as Jon opened his eyes, a swell of pride coming from his acolyte. " But your searching was faulted. You backtracked over yourself multiple times. You need to work on developing a search pattern when you reach out through the Force, otherwise you will never find anything that isn't sticking out like a sore thumb. Now, let's keep moving. Jon, you're on point with me. "

Setting off down the street, or at least what was left of the street, Nox and the others nearly had to high step as they trudged through several hundred years of dirt and volcanic ash that'd only semi-hardened over the years. 'It's almost as if this place has been frozen in time. But the barrier we passed through wasn't near strong enough to cause such an effect. Yet, this place is so remarkably well preserved. '

As if to prove his point, as they passed by an alley the group pulled to a stop as Dacey let out a light gasp. Tucked against the wall of a building was a skeleton that was clutching another skeleton close to its chest. " A young woman, judging by the structure of the hips. And child in her arms. " Oberyn observed, using his spear tip to lift the gilded collar around the skeleton's neck which, amazingly, did not cause the skeleton to crumble. " A slave. But the child doesn't wear a collar. "

" She was protecting the child, " Dacey said mournfully before whispering a prayer to the old gods under her breath. " Let's…Let's move. No point in standing around with our thumb up our asses. "

" Oh, interesting. Didn't realize that sort of thing interested you, my beautiful she-bear. "

Rolling her eyes, Dacey waved her mace just under the Prince's nose. " Keep those thoughts in your heard Viper, or my mace will find its way up your ass. "

That was the wrong thing to say as Oberyn merely winked at the young woman. " Well, I'm usually the 'giver' in such situations my dear. But I am not opposed to be a 'receiver' in the right company. And if such a thing truly interests you, I might just be willing to make that exception. Though, we might want to find something smaller. I understand pleasure houses in Yunkai have these wooden polished fake phalluses that women can wear around their waist for such occasions. "

The half of Dacey's face that was visible above her leather mask went red as she tried to stammer a reply, only to come up short as several of the men chuckled or gave her wolf-whistles, making the she-bear glare at them threateningly before holding her head high and purposefully marching away from them. Nox allowed the moment of levity to go. Given the situation they were in, and just where they were, a bit of humor wasn't the worst thing for the men and women currently under his command.

After nearly an hour of trudging through the ruined city, the expedition found themselves before a dome structure that, like the rest of Valyria, had seen better days. 'But what better days they were, ' Nox thought, marveling at the architecture as he led the group up the stairs towards a towering set of double doors that were left ajar. 'The strange Force-touched black stone. The masonry. All of it: it's extraordinary! And even more so due to it being built by hand instead of with machines. It's still so remarkable to me…just what works of art this world can create without the use of droids or advance building techniques. '

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