“Another one already! Today is turning out better than I had hoped!” He dropped the line to the fish, allowing it to enjoy what could be its last meal. The fish gulped the bait ravenously. Galvan set the hook. The fish tore at the line, attempting to break free. Galvan kept his poise and held the pole firmly. The trout finally tired in its attack, and then Galvan pulled as hard as he could and yet again sent the fish flying majestically toward him. He again reached out and caught it midair while slowly taking another drag on his pipe.
He examined the fish and nodded. “Now this is the kind of catch some men wait hours for. And today I am lucky enough to have caught two beautiful trout. However, you sir, are the grander specimen and will make a fine dinner tonight.”
He took the magnificent fish, gathered his effects, and began to work his way back to his home. He leapt from the rock to the shore and then proceeded to make his way across the bridge back toward the center of town. He looked off to his left as he walked down the almost empty street, and saw a familiar face walking on the opposite side of the village. It was Catherine. He had met her when he first came to this village five years ago. Their glances met across the courtyard, and she immediately flashed him an excited smile and playfully skipped toward him at a torrid pace. The sorcerer noticed her long, auburn hair whisking in the wind as she glided about the cobblestone piazza. Her soft, gentle green eyes were locked on his the entire time, and he was ensnared by her presence.
“Galvan, how was your most recent adventure?” she asked excitedly.
“Oh, you know, nothing I’m not used to. Just killed a dragon and defeated some of the relentless undead. All in a day’s work for Galvan Gabrielle, master sorcerer of Alacrecia, protector of the lands.” A huge smile crossed his face and he raised his arms to proclaim his fame to the mostly deserted courtyard.
“You were fishing again, weren’t you?” she asked in a rather sarcastic tone.
“Yes, yes I was. How did you know?” He didn’t even try to deny it. Outside of the occasional big fish, Galvan hadn’t seen a good adventure in a long, long time.
“Well, for one thing, you have been out on that rock since this morning…plus, let’s face it, Galvan, I don’t know if you are really cut out for the fast pace of adventuring,” she said playfully.
Galvan was a little flustered by her words. Since he had come to this village, Galvan felt a need for something more out of life than just bartending every day at the Silver Shield in Haile. Lately that feeling had been exacerbated by a daily repetition void of any real substance.
“Now, Catherine, make no mistake, I can still go.” He forced a smile to cover up the slight damage to his ego from her previous biting comments. “I may not be as flexible as when I was your age, but I can still go the distance with the best of them.”
“What, when you were two years younger?” she questioned with disbelief over the obvious similarity in their ages. Her tone suddenly changed to one of concern and irritation. “Don’t forget, Galvan, you may be twenty-eight years old, and I may not be as old as you, but I can tell you this: if you go looking for danger, eventually you will find it. When that happens, what will you do?”
“When I finally find a danger worthy of my strongest efforts, I will ignite the sky and rain fire down on whatever evil stands before me.”
“What if that isn’t enough, Galvan? What if you find a danger so great that you cannot defeat it? What then?” Her face saddened as the horrible thought of what could happen pervaded her mind.
“Then, I will light my pipe, and at the very least, enjoy one last puff of twag before I draw my final breath.” His smile widened and he chuckled deeply.
“Well, Galvan, just remember that you will always have a home to come back to here in Alacrecia.” A smile returned to her face. “So, any plans for later tonight?”
“Just work,” he replied. “I need to go in a little early tonight, one of the other bartenders cannot make it, and since there is a knighting ceremony tonight, they said I should come in a bit earlier.” He fumbled around in his pocket, pulled out his pipe, and packed it with a fresh load of twag.
“Show me, Galvan,” Catherine pleaded. “You have to show me how you do your magic.”
Her comments piqued his interest; he couldn’t resist a chance to educate her and stroke his ego. “I simply draw on this world’s hidden energies and produce sorcery.” He held up two fingers. “It’s simple really, all it takes is practice and anyone can do it…but it takes a true master to do it like this.” He began to trace runes in midair. “I travel the longest road from east to west and then two hops over the trout creek and…” The runes again responded to his call and a small flame appeared, suspended in front of him. He proceeded to light his pipe off of the hovering blaze.
“That is incredible!” Catherine paused for a moment and then looked at him curiously. “Do you think I could learn to do that?”
“Well, come here for a moment.” He motioned for her to give him her hand. He gently placed his hand on top of hers, and she felt her heart flutter ever so slightly. “Take your pointer finger and middle finger and spread them apart and extend them, keeping your other fingers folded in. Now that you have just those two fingers pointing outwards, draw this symbol.” He took her hand and extended it in front of her and pulled her hand from right to left. “Listen to me very carefully. There aren’t very many sorcerers because it takes so long to harness the hidden powers of this world. Most people give up within a few days. Even though I doubt it will occur, if you would happen to get a faint light to appear, just remember the rest of the spell is ‘two hops over the trout creek’ and you should get a small flame.”
She shot him a puzzled look. “What do you mean ‘two hops over the trout creek?’” she asked, perplexed.
“I describe most of the symbols that I trace so I can remember all of the different combinations…there are so many. In this case you travel down the longest road from east to west and then take two hops over the trout creek in order to cast basic flame sorcery.”
His words finally made sense as he showed her the last symbol in which he made an n shape twice with her hand. “Oh I get it now, like this,” she said, tracing the exact symbol he just showed her. “I travel the longest road from east to west and then two hops over the trout creek and…”
Nothing happened. A sad look crossed over her face. “Well, Galvan, we can’t all be as talented as you, right?”
Galvan’s face turned sour. He forced a light chuckle. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m that talented.”
“Galvan, you know I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know, but I still think back to that day, and know that if I had truly been strong, I could have won…I could have defeated Kastor.”
“He’s the one who challenged you to that winner-take-all sorcery match, isn’t he?”
“Yes, our match was never stipulated under official sorcerer rules, and because of that, Kastor was able to defeat me using forbidden Dark Sorceries. I didn’t stand a chance against Kastor when he eventually cast the dreaded Dark Arcanus. Dark Sorceries are forbidden because they pervade the very life force that supports the harmony of the Everglen that many sorcerers use to practice their magic. The energies in the Everglen are much stronger than anywhere else in Forme, so as sorcerers we want to train and practice there. But the trees wilt, the grass turns a dark brown, and the Everglen’s life-force is permanently damaged every time Dark Sorceries are cast inside of it.” Galvan paused for a moment and frowned. “My father, Gorbin Gabrielle, stepped in to disperse the Dark Arcanus and he saved my life. However, I couldn’t live with my failure, so I left the Everglen. I didn’t feel that I had the right to live there after such a total defeat. My own father had to step in and help me…I wasn’t strong enough then, and because of my failure, I have almost completely given up practicing more powerful sorceries. After his ‘victory,’ Kastor demanded that Gorbin recognize him publicly as the next great Sorcerer of Forme. When my father wo
uldn’t do it, stating that the only way for Kastor to become a great Sorcerer of Forme was through years of practice, Kastor threatened to destroy the Everglen. Upon hearing this, my father banished Kastor from ever returning under penalty of death.”
Galvan stopped and then attempted to change the subject. “So, Catherine, are you going to practice?”
“Practice what? Oh, the spell you taught me! Yes of course, I can’t wait to cast my first sorcery, Galvan. Thank you so much…and I’m really sorry that I brought up your past,” she said in a faint, depressed voice.
“Bah, don’t worry about it, I have bigger things to concern myself with now,” he said. He smiled lightly, forcing the images of five years ago out of his head. “Speaking of bigger things, I have to get going to work. I’ll drop by your place when I’m done.”
“Please do, Galvan. I’ll cook the trout and we can have dinner together.” She stuck out her hand and Galvan handed the day’s catch over to her with a smile.
“I look forward to it.”
Chapter 20:
The first sword of the first Knight of Haile was Hailestorm. It was forged by Blacksmith Bartholemue and given to Arthan Silver by order of Sora on the Night of Heroes. Arthan was the first man to walk the path of the Knight.
- Excerpt from The Legend of Hailestorm
A small, dark figure slowly entered the door to a bedroom where two young men were sleeping in separate beds. The shadowy figure looked from one bed to the other, and then slowly advanced toward one of the slumbering men. A board creaked under its weight and the character froze tensely. After a few seconds of silence the figure continued creeping toward the beds. It reached one of the beds and stood over it, looking down at the young man lying there. The man's square jaw line was broken by a few days’ worth of stubble on his chin and he had sandy-brown, wild hair that curled around his tan, light-orange skin. The figure smiled wryly down at the man and it crouched low, ready to jump. The figure took a deep breath, leaped onto the snoozing man, and yelled, “Wake up! It’s morning, Benni! Wake up!”
Benni’s eyelids flew open and his orange eyes glowed faintly in the morning light. He exhaled hard as the figure landed on his chest. Benni put the small figure in a bear hug, and rolled off the bed and onto the floor with him. “I’ve got you now, Fairen,” he chuckled while tickling the boy.
Fairen started laughing, and struggled in vain to break Benni’s hold on him. They were startled as a pillow flew across the room and hit them. The man in the other bed sat up and said in a groggy voice, “Will you two keep it down?” He smirked and swung himself out of bed and stood to his full height of almost two meters.
Benni got up, still holding Fairen, and said to the other man, “Here, Lawrence, catch!” Benni threw the boy across the room to Lawrence, who caught him with ease, and slung him under his arm. Lawrence roughed up Fairen’s blonde hair with his large hand, then set Fairen on the ground.
The boy indignantly smoothed out his hair and cleared his throat. "Mom told me to get you guys up for breakfast. She wants everyone ready to attend the knighting ceremony."
Benni smiled and threw a glance at Lawrence. "But I'll bet she didn’t say how to do it, did she."
Fairen giggled then shrugged.
Benni tossed the pillow at him and said, "Go tell Mother we’ll be down in a few minutes."
Fairen dashed out of the room, leaving the still sleepy men standing there.
Both Benni and Lawrence walked back to their beds, feeling their stiff joints crack as they did. Lawrence took a white tunic from where it was hanging on his bed post and slipped it over his thickly muscled torso, and then carefully donned his hardened leather vest over it. The scars from his skirmish two years earlier with Phillip were a constant reminder of the dangers of knighthood. He walked over to his sword and sheath, which were resting in the corner, and buckled them onto his belt. The weight of the sword felt familiar, even comfortable to Lawrence. Benni had already dressed in his official Knight Guard attire, woven chainmail adorned with the crest of the Hailian Knights. Lawrence finished dressing in his mail, and leaned against the doorframe to the bedroom, yawning. Benni grabbed his sword from under his bed, and the two headed down the wooden stairwell outside the room.
The warm smell of frying meat and freshly baked bread assaulted their nostrils as they walked into the kitchen together. Helen was standing in front of the table slicing thick slices of steaming rye bread. Benni set his sword on the worn, oak countertop. He walked over to Helen, and kissed her on the cheek while snaking a hand under her arm to grab a piece of bread. "Good morning, Mother,” he said with a smile.
Helen smiled and slapped Benni's sneaking hand aside. "Benni Wakewood! Mind your manners."
Benni grinned, showing no signs of remorse as he went over to a fire to tend to some sausages that were sizzling in a large iron skillet. Lawrence had grabbed five clay plates off a shelf and set them around the table, along with a thick pewter mug for each plate.
Helen smiled warmly at Lawrence. "Good morning, Lawrence. Are you excited for your knighting ceremony today? It feels like only yesterday that I was watching you and Benni train in the backyard. We are so proud of you both.”
Lawrence finished setting the table and replied, "I’ve been looking forward to this day for two years now. I just hope that Sabre Grey shows up. Benni and I are going to head to the castle as soon as we finish eating breakfast. We want to get our positions for the ceremony."
Benni walked back over to the table, carrying the hot sausages, and said to Helen, "We will be looking for you in the crowd."
Laughter echoed into the kitchen from the hall, and was followed into the room by Nicholas Wakewood carrying a giggling Fairen. He slung the young boy over his shoulder then playfully swung Fairen down to the floor. "Well, what are we standing around for? You can’t start a day on an empty stomach." He walked over and gave his wife a small intimate kiss before gesturing for them all to sit.
Lawrence averted his eyes, and couldn't help but feel a small pang of longing seeing what Nicholas and Helen had together. He hoped that one day his relationship with Elsie would reach that level. But he quickly shook the feeling, and set about helping Fairen heap his plate with sausages, bread smeared with apple butter, and small mince pies. The smell was mouth-watering, and they quickly set about sating their bellies.
Helen filled their mugs with fresh creamy milk from a pitcher. Nicholas placed a mug he had been carrying with him down on the table. It was filled with a fresh breakfast stout from the tap at the Silver Shield. He took a glug of the brew, which left a ring of foam on his short brown beard. "Just think, after today, both of you boys will be full-fledged Knights of Haile. The future is bright for this city, especially with Knights like the two of you to defend it.”
Lawrence hoped those words would be true. I wonder if Sabre Grey will show up at the ceremony to prove my training.
Fairen's brow furrowed in thought. He looked up at Benni. “I want to be a Knight like you and Lawrence. I want to be important.”
Both Lawrence and Benni glanced at Fairen. “It takes a lot of work, but if you are dedicated, then there is no doubt that you can join us someday,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence polished the last of the morsels from his plate, and sat waiting until Benni had done the same. They both stood up from the table, and Benni walked over to the counter where he had placed his sword. He buckled it to his belt in the same manner that Lawrence had earlier. Benni walked back over to the table and stood behind Fairen, roughing up his hair with his hand. "We will see you all at the ceremony.”
“Ok,” replied Fairen through a mouthful of food.
Benni chuckled and then joined Lawrence, who was leaning against the kitchen wall waiting for him. He pushed off the wall with one arm and opened the solid oak door that led outside, letting the crisp, morning breeze stream in with the sunlight of a beautiful spring morning. Lawrence turned and gave Helen a big hug before stepping outside. “Thank you both so mu
ch for housing me for the last two years. I cannot thank you enough for caring for me after my wounds healed. Even though I had the opportunity to live in the castle, I realized that I needed to get away from all of its distractions. I would never have fully recovered if I didn’t focus completely on my training. Ever since I’ve come here, you and Nicholas have been like parents to me.”
“We are so proud of you two young men.” Helen smiled and watched as the two Knight Guard hopefuls walked out the door, pulling it shut behind them.
The sun was just peaking over the tops of the houses that lined the streets, making Haile seem to glow with the light of a new day. The pair walked down the path leading away from the small stone house and onto the street, settling into a leisurely pace and allowing the calm to envelop them. A few birds flew overhead, twittering and performing acrobatics around each other in the hopes of attracting a mate. This was Lawrence’s favorite time of year. He loved the new life and warm rains that spring brought after the cold snows of winter. As they walked down the street, people began to stir in their houses, opening their shutters and shaking out rugs. Cats, who had wandered as kings of the streets at night, were now hiding away and returning to their homes, frightened by the traffic of humans on their streets. People were beginning to make their way to the streets, dressed in their best clothing, clearly on their way to attending the Advent of Knighthood. The knighting ceremony was a holiday in Haile. All businesses closed, government activities were suspended, and everyone in the town took the day to witness the coronation of the next batch of recruits.
The Trinity of Heroes (I Will Protect You Book 1) Page 17
