Then one misty morning a lone figure appeared through the fog. As the village folk squinted to see who the bedraggled stranger was, a cry suddenly went up, ‘It’s Hawker………it’s Hawker! Everyone, Hawker has returned!’
Though injured and suffering severe exhaustion, Hawker confirmed to the growing crowd that he had indeed slayed Black Death, though he did not say how exactly he had done so, and that remains something of a mystery to this day.
After an emotional reunion with his son he was summoned before the King where again he did not explain how he had killed Black Death, but just that he had. To prove his words true, he gave the King a map that would lead to where the great beast’s slain body now lay. Delighted, the King announced that Hawker was a hero of the pixie race and would be honoured for his courageous actions.
This was when Hawker made the mistake that he would forever regret. Thinking he had no reason not to, he produced the Straize gem stones and proudly showed off his prize from the slaying. He explained that after the dragon had died, a huge multi-coloured fireball had engulfed the beast, and once the flames had subsided, where once were its dark eyes, now lay the two gem stones. Hawker named the stones after the great beast itself.
Upon taking the gems, Hawker instantly felt that they harnessed great power within them. It was as if all the power of the great beast had been transferred to the mysterious gems — and soon enough other people began to notice this too. Hawker quickly realised he had made a mistake by showing off his prize too often. Unfortunately however, it was already too late, as among those who had started to take an unhealthy interest in the gems was the Pixie King.
Very quickly the King became jealous of Hawker and his prized possessions. For the time being however, there was little he could do about it as the stones belonged to Hawker; it was he who had slayed the dragon and therefore it was his right to claim any trophy he so desired from the fallen beast. This was an age old pixie law. The King had no right to take the gems he so desired and any attempt to take them forcibly would be punishable by death, regardless of one’s standing within the pixie race. The same laws applied to the King as they would to any other member of the tribe. Yet, the stones had the power to make people stray from reason in their desire to own them, and eventually the King decided to hatch a plan that would see him take the gems for himself.
The King knew he would be breaking pixie laws with his quest to steal the gems and he was also well aware of the punishment, so he could tell no one of his intentions. This made matters more difficult: he couldn’t order his soldiers to do his dirty work for him and the King was no match for the great warrior Hawker in terms of strength and fighting skills, so taking them by brute force was not an option either. No, he would have to be more cunning than that. And so, he befriended the great warrior.
He brought Hawker into his inner circle and made him one of his own personal protectors. This was viewed as a high honour among the pixies and one did not turn down such an offer even though, if Hawker was being honest he would tell you that such a position did not really appeal to him.
He didn’t really like or trust their current King. However to speak publicly about such thoughts would be likely to bring unwanted trouble down on oneself and to turn down a personal request from the King would bring shame on his family. So begrudgingly he did what he had to and to everyone outside his family he appeared honoured and grateful whilst taking up his new role at the King’s side.
Over the next few months the King paid particular attention to his new protector. Although not a nice or kind person at heart, the King tried his best to appear so, while befriending the great warrior. He would often invite Hawker to dine with him in the evenings, again a great honour amongst the pixie race and not something one could turn down without offending the King. So Hawker would appear grateful and join the King when requested.
The King would often enquire about the gems, trying to find out where Hawker now kept them. However, Hawker was not a silly man and was always very coy with his answers. He knew others would delight in relinquishing him of the powerful stones, whether legally or not.
After some time though, Hawker warmed to the King a little and during one late night feast that involved rather far too much wine, the warrior let down his defences. During one of the King’s frequent enquiries about the gems, Hawker had opened his shirt and shown the King the gem stones and more importantly, where he kept them. They sat on his large chest, woven into a chain his late wife had made for him, hidden normally by his clothes and armour. The King was delighted that he now knew where the warrior kept the stones and he could begin to hatch his plan to steal the gems for himself.
During this time, trouble had been brewing between the pixies and a rival race of elves. This was more to do with the egos of either sides’ Kings than the ordinary people, but of course — as with all wars, they too would be dragged into battle by their rulers whether they liked it or not. The King had been preparing, and had had a very special sword forged from the finest, rarest and strongest metal found within all the known galaxies. He also, rather slyly, had grooves made on either side of the sword to perfectly fit the two Straize gems. Upon sensing their power, the King imagined that if he could incorporate them into a weapon, it would surely make for the finest, deadliest weapon ever created.
It was a risk undoubtedly, as they could very well do absolutely nothing once incorporated into the sword, but the king was convinced otherwise. He was sure their power could be utilised to create a super weapon, rather than being utterly wasted in his view, hanging around Hawker’s neck doing nothing.
As things came to a head with the elves, a date was set for a grand battle between the two races. The King set off with his pixie army and Hawker by his side. Despite being told in no uncertain terms not to follow, Hawker’s son Stedd, had done just that.
Stedd arrived at the agreed battlefield just as the battle commenced. He took cover in a small forest at the edge of the battlefield and climbed up the largest tree he could see to gain a good vantage point from which to oversee the battle.
Stedd watched with immense pride as his father demonstrated his excellent swordsmanship skills. He sliced his way through opponents with such ease that Stedd was sure that no one would get near him and he would return back to their village tonight, triumphant and safe. Yet nagging away at the back of his mind was the way he had noticed the Pixie King closely following his father as he moved around the battlefield. He hoped the King was just trying to stay close to his most skilled warrior for protection, but something about the way he was doing it just didn’t sit right with Stedd.
The King was pretty handy with a weapon in his own right, not as skilful as Hawker, but decent enough that he didn’t need to be following his bodyguard. Also, no true Pixie King that wanted to stay on the throne should be moving around the battlefield looking for help, they should be the one leading the charge and inspiring their troops to glory.
As well as a fine warrior, Hawker was also probably the most skilled hunter and tracker within the village. And from a very early age he had been passing his skills and knowledge down to young Stedd. So much so that Stedd had become a very skilled hunter and tracker in his own right. And it was these very skills that made Stedd realise with a feeling of horror shooting through his body, that the King was not following his father for safety. He was tracking his prey, waiting for the right moment to move in for the kill.
To make matters even worse, his moment had just arrived.
Hawker and the King had moved across the battlefield and now found themselves on the side of the forest where Stedd was watching . They had broken free from the congestion of the main part of the battle and with the King seeing his opportunity within grasp, he had moved in closer to Hawker. Three Elves moved in on the pair, two from one direction and one from the opposite. Stedd couldn’t hear what was being said over the din of the battle, but he didn’t have to. It was pretty clear the King was telling Hawker to take care of the two Elv
es and he would deal with the single opponent to Hawker’s rear.
Stedd began to scream to his father as loudly as he possibly could, to warn him of the trap, but his voice was easily drowned out with all the noise from the battlefield. The King wasted no time in dispensing with his opponent, then turned around and headed towards where Hawker fought his opponents. As he made up the short distance between them, the King scanned the battlefield around them, making sure no one was paying too much attention.
Hawker killed the two Elves with efficiency and took no longer than a few seconds more than had taken the King to slay just one Elf. However, in battle seconds can make the difference. As Hawker pulled his sword from the second Elf and stood tall, the feeling of cold metal tore into his lower back. The killer knew what he was doing and Hawker knew it too, it was a killer blow. There would be no chance of survival from his wound.
Stedd had screamed at the top of his voice after witnessing the King’s vicious blow and immediately started to descend the large tree he was sitting atop.
As the killer withdrew his sword, Hawker slumped to the ground, landing on his back. Disbelieving eyes saw the King standing over him.
Stedd reached the ground and with total disregard for his own safety ran onto the battlefield towards his father. He saw the King and Hawker exchanging some words, before the King leaned over and ripped something from Hawker’s neck. Stedd knew exactly what it would be.
Excitement grew to fever pitch in the King as he tore the gems free from the woven chain they had been carried in around Hawker’s neck. Once again, holding them he could feel the immense power surge through his body. After a quick check to make sure there was no incoming threat from Elven soldiers, he kneeled on the ground and placed the gems into each groove he had made within his fine sword.
To his surprise the gems locked onto the sword like a strong magnet finding a metal source, and the sword began to hum as if being charged with electricity. The gem stones had been born out of a creature whose whole life had been about creating death and destruction and it now seemed as if they had been searching for another vessel to carry on with the mayhem. Right there and then, the King knew he had been right all along and a weapon of mass destruction had been forged.
As the King stood and faced the main part of the battlefield, he heard Elves shouting at each other: ‘Get the King’. His moment of peace on the battlefield was over now his whereabouts had been discovered by the enemy.
A crowd of about twenty or thirty Elves had broken free of the main battle, all bloodthirsty for their moment of glory, and ran towards the King.
The King watched his foes approach and laughed as power surged within him. As he raised his sword and swung it in an arc, great fiery red bolts of lightning shot out from the sword and blew every single one of the oncoming Elves to bits.
The battlefield came to a standstill as everyone froze and checked to see what had been responsible for the deadly display of power.
The King roared with pleasure as all eyes on the battlefield set upon him. He set off towards them, sending bolts of red lightning out over one hundred feet in any direction he chose.
The Elves, realising it was the Pixie King coming at them with this new found weapon, retreated from the battlefield and ran for their lives. Even the Pixie soldiers backed off from their King in fear of this weapon of mass destruction he was firing rather indiscriminately.
Young Stedd was the only one there that day who couldn’t have cared less about the new weapon on show. Tears had started to roll down his cheeks as he made his way across the field to where his father lay. As he reached him he was momentarily lifted to see his father’s eyes were still open and some life remained within him. This slight lift in his spirit was short-lived however as his father mustered what was left of his strength and pulled his boy in close to him.
Hawker told Stedd that he was dying and had only moments remaining. He told him to be strong and warned that he would need to leave their village — that the King would not take any chances and would kill Stedd, just to ensure he didn’t try to take revenge on the King when he got older. Hawker told Stedd to run back to the village as fast as he could to get some supplies, then to leave and never return.
The boy sobbed as his father told him he loved him with his last breath, before dying right there in front of Stedd. The boy lay with his father, oblivious as carnage unfolded with the King’s new weapon nearby. Then, perhaps prompted by the silence that fell upon the battlefield as the enemy had scattered and the King sheathed his sword, the boy broke from his sorrow and stood. He looked over the field where countless mutilated bodies lay and the one person that stood in his line of vision was the King.
They locked eyes and stared at each other for what was probably only a few seconds, yet felt like a lifetime. As they did, young Stedd felt anger like no other he had felt before, rising up from within and he swore there and then, to avenge his father’s death and slay the treacherous King one day. He bent down to lift his father’s sword, before turning and running off as fast as he could back to village, never looking back once.’
Chapter 22
‘So how on earth did Eric and I end up with the Straize gems then?’ asked Finn. ‘Or are ours different to the Pixie King’s?’
‘No, they are the very same Finn, they are the only two known Straize gems in all the universes,’ replied Max. ‘Please let me continue and you’ll soon see how they come to be in your and your brother’s possession.’ Finn nodded his head in agreement and Max continued with his tale:
‘Young Stedd’s fate had been sealed the moment the King and he had locked eyes across the battlefield. The King knew instantly that the boy had witnessed his father’s murder and could see the thirst for revenge already burning deep within the boy.
Although young Stedd was of no real threat to the King at present, if allowed to flourish he would most likely grow into a fine warrior like his father and could one day cause the King problems. Equally, the King wouldn’t want Stedd spouting his mouth off in the village about how the King had treacherously murdered his father.
No, it would be much easier to just kill him now and not have to worry about any potential problems in the future.
Stedd had made it back to the village by nightfall and quietly slipped through as discreetly as he could, fearful of any messages that could have been sent ahead of his arrival, ordering his capture. Before he left for good however, he had to tell someone of the King’s betrayal, so he made his way to his grandfather’s home, who was now too old to be involved on the battlefield.
Stedd told his story and his grandfather, although visibly upset at the news of his son’s death, knew the time for grieving would need to wait because his grandson was now in serious danger. As his grandmother set about packing the boy as many food supplies as he could carry, his grandfather walked him to his own home and gathered as quickly as they could, what other equipment Stedd would need to survive, like clothes and hunting equipment.
His grandmother met them at the edge of the village and together they walked the boy as far away from the village as they could until they reached the edge of the Pixie controlled lands.
The grandparents were too old now to run with the boy and try to survive off harsh lands, and they would only slow him down once the King likely set off guards to hunt him down. So with heavy hearts they bid young Stedd a tearful goodbye and wished him well, although deep down they knew his chances of survival all alone were slim. If the King’s men didn’t find him, then trying to live off the harsh lands he would now find himself living on, would be deadly enough.
When the King made his triumphant return the next day, he did indeed seek out the boy, only to find out he had fled the village. A handful of scouts were dispatched to search for him, but when they returned months later without success, the King declared the boy dead and gave up the search for him, confidently thinking a young lad would have no chance surviving in the wild alone.
However, Hawker h
ad taught his son well and survive he did. It wasn’t easy though and the next few years were a hard struggle. He kept on the move to begin with, each day putting further distance between himself and his old home, ever fearful of assassins sent by the king to find him.
As time and distance went by, the boy began to worry less about the assassins, confident the search would have been given up by now. But young Stedd had others problems to deal with as winter was drawing in and the freezing temperatures were becoming his main concern. With no real shelter or food supply the boy would probably not have made it by that first winter, had it not been for a chance encounter with two adventure seeking youngsters; a boy and a girl from the mighty Fairy Kingdom, who were disobeying orders from their elders and sneaking out to explore lands beyond the protected Fairy realm.
As they stumbled upon one another, the initial reaction of the two boys was to size each other up and prepare for combat — just as they had been taught. They were told of so many battles between the two races. However, the girl, perhaps sensing that something was different about this young Pixie lad, had stepped between them just in time. Softened by the girl’s beauty and perhaps a spark between the pair, Stedd stepped back and lowered his weapon.
Still weary of each other the two boys grudgingly made friends, more to please the girl than anything else. However, over time they slowly became the best of friends and without their help the young Stedd would never have survived.
The Fairies helped the boy to build a small shelter to live in that would become his first home in a long time. They also brought food and other supplies like blankets and clothes that helped him to survive the harsh winter. Over the next few years the three of them grew into young adults and together they helped each other to perfect various skills such as hunting and tracking. The boys pitted their wits against each other with wooden weapons and although they were unaware of it at the time, these sparring sessions were helping to turn the two boys into two of the most skilful warriors of their generation.
The Other Side Page 8
