“Please believe me when I say there’s a very good reason for me to be here today. It’s important.”
“More important than running your business?”
“Yes.” Ryris’ reply came quickly, and with purpose, surprising him. “Remember those stories Gran used to tell me?”
Maxx rolled his eyes. “Ha! Don’t use that nonsense as an excuse for abandoning your business. That’s pretty pathetic, even for you.”
“Listen to me!” Ryris’ voice echoed off the walls, startling not only himself, but his father and companions as well. It took him a few seconds to regain his composure. “This isn’t some fairytale I’m lost in, and I didn’t just leave the shop willy-nilly. This is real, Dad—and dangerous.”
Maxx’ nostrils flared. “The only thing that’s dangerous is you coming back here with stupid stories!”
“What will it take to get you to listen to me?”
“Try actin’ like a man. You can’t use the mumbo-jumbo that old woman filled your head with to weasel your way out of whatever you did in Keld.”
Ryris clenched his fists. “I didn’t ‘do anything’ in Keld!”
“Obviously. I suppose we’ll have to go back and empty the storefront now?”
“This has nothing to do with the store! It doesn’t matter anymore!” Ryris couldn’t believe his bravado and willingness to stand up to Maxx. He heard his own voice continue to rise with anger. “Gran’s stories were true, Dad. And you need to realize the world is about to change because of them.”
Maxx stood there silent and defiant. Ryris knew this was the turning point. He was growing tired of his father’s antics. Ryris turned to Jaric, motioning to his back. Nodding his understanding, the warrior untied the straps holding his weapon and brought it around in front of his body, the scabbard still obscuring the telltale blade. Jaric reverently handed over his prized sword, knowing that his friend would never allow any disgrace to come to it. Taking it in his still-shaking hands, Ryris approached the counter, and laid the weapon down. He unsheathed the blade, the crystalline material instantly shimmering in the light of the shop.
Maxx’ eyes widened, his jaw falling slack as awe overtook him. Staring at it for a moment, he finally reached out and gingerly ran a finger down the smooth side of the blade. Ryris watched the older man try and process what had been set before him, and wondered what must have been going through his mind. Needless to say, his response was not what he was expecting. Maxx’ face soured.
“Just who’d you steal this from, lad?” He looked to Jaric, accusingly. “No one as rough-looking as you has the gamm to possess such a weapon.”
Jaric lunged forward, Ryris having only seconds to stop him before he assaulted Maxx for his accusation. “Watch your tongue, old man.”
“I’ll do no such thing. Friend of my son or not, you don’t threaten me in my own store.” Maxx stood his ground and Ryris became more and more frustrated with each passing second. His father’s stubbornness was embarrassing, and costing them precious time.
“Stop it, both of you!” Ryris’ voice peaked, anger and frustration taking hold. “Jaric, stand down. And Dad...you need to listen to me, and listen good.” Maxx just stood there, an eyebrow quirked, his skeptical expression boring right through Ryris as he continued. “I didn’t come back here to be scolded, or for you to offend my friends. I came back because there’s something more important than you or me or this village on the horizon. This isn’t about you and your disappointment about what you think I have or have not been doing.”
Maxx just stared at his son before inhaling deeply and blowing it out as he spoke. “I never thought I’d see you grow a pair like you just did. My boy, giving his old man a stern earful. What a day indeed.”
Ryris snarled and began to turn, motioning to his companions to follow him out the door. “This is pointless. Coming here was a mistake.”
Maxx grabbed for his son’s arm across the counter in an attempt to stop him, the young man evading his grasp. “Wait. I’m…willing to listen to whatever silly story you’ve concocted.”
“Don’t patronize me. I’m not a kid anymore. I’ve experienced something life-changing recently, and you think it’s some kind of fantasy. Well I can tell you that it isn’t. After all that I’ve seen in just the last few months alone—I don’t have time to waste with you. If you’re not going to take me seriously, then I have nothing more to say.”
This was it. Was Ryris ready to walk out the door, never to return? His father’s remarks had pushed him over the edge, yes, but was his only alternative really to abandon his kin and focus on what lay ahead? He stared his father down, mentally trying to decide when to turn and leave for good. Maxx finally replied, uncharacteristic pleading in his eyes.
“Ryris…” The old man shook his head solemnly. “I’m sorry. You know I tend to lash out when I’m hit with something I wasn’t prepared for.”
“You got that right.”
The old alchemist regarded his son sincerely. “You’ve grown. Changed. If it means that much to you, I’ll listen.”
“I want you to want to listen. Not just because you think it’ll make me happy.”
“All a father ever wants is for his son to be happy—and perhaps not be a horse’s arse. But I’ll hear you out—because I want to.”
Ryris accepted his father’s proposal with a curt, silent nod.
“Now, why don’t the lot of you c’mon back and I’ll give you a proper breakfast. You’re looking awful scrawny.”
The young alchemist returned Jaric’s sword and motioned for his friends to follow Maxx, taking one last look at the shop before he closed the house door behind them. His companions stood near the side wall, unsure of what do to or where to go. It occurred to Ryris that they hadn’t even been properly introduced to his father yet. Maxx threw another log on the fire, turning to face them as he brushed the soot from his palms. It was obvious he was thinking the same thing.
“Don’t be rude, boy. I’m assuming your mates have names?”
Ryris motioned to his companions. “Dad, I’d like you to meet Kaia and Jaric. They’re…old friends.”
“Maxxald Bren’s the name. Maxx for short.” He shook each warrior’s hand in sequence, stoic face accompanying the action. “Old, huh? Don’t look that old to me.”
“Looks can be deceiving, Mr. Bren.” Kaia smiled warmly, trying to diffuse the thick tension that still lingered in the room.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He pointed to the table. “Sit down. Seat on the far side is mine, though, so don’t even think about it.”
The three companions shed their outerwear and sat, Maxx taking a moment to put a kettle of water over the fire. He grabbed a basket of biscuits from the shelving, along with a small pot of jam, and set it on the table. When he finally took his seat, he stared the three visitors down. “Get on with it, then. Why the hell aren’t you in Keld?”
Ryris nervously tapped his fingers on the tabletop, unsure of where to begin. “I left on a routine ingredient harvest, and was only planning on being gone three weeks. I had fellow merchants watching the home front, and one stocked my goods so I could make money even while gone.” He waited, hoping his father would at least praise him for the shrewd business move. When Maxx stayed silent, he continued. “I was up on the Peaks, in Hewe.”
“That tiny town? Why’d you go up there? There’s nothing of value anywhere near it.”
Ryris sighed with irritation, trying to resist the urge to tell his father off for not having faith in his methods. He was unsuccessful. “For your information, I decided to act on a hunch—and it paid off more than I ever expected.” He looked to his companions knowingly. “If you remember, the aegis mold harvest had been dwindling for at least a decade. I took a risk and went to the other side of the mountains, and found a bounty.”
“The other side, eh? Never thought of that…” Maxx’ voice was almost undetectable with his last muttering. Ryris smirked ever so slightly at his father’s ‘no
t-so-admission’ of his good idea. “But what has that got to do with you ending up back at my doorstep, prattling on about your granny’s stupid stories?”
Ryris glared at Maxx for his accusation before continuing. “Things…didn’t go as planned.”
Maxx eyed his son’s two friends.
“I hired two local boys to lead me up the mountain, and they accidentally told me about a woman they found sealed in a cave. Not having any intentions other than just seeing her, I persuaded them to show me. And that’s how I found Kaia. Dad…she’s…”
“She’s one of them? Those shining soldiers?”
“I thought you said the stories were stupid…”
“That sword on his back,” Maxx pointed to Jaric. “There’s only one kind of man that has a piece of that caliber. And I can guarantee no one in ages has seen one.”
“Now do you believe Gran?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes, you do. You can continue to believe that what she tried to teach me was nonsense and look like a fool when everything goes to pot, or you can accept the fact that Kaia and Jaric still exist and listen to what we need to tell you.”
Maxx eyed the trio before relenting. “Alright, you’ve got my attention.”
“Jaric and Kaia fought in the Old War. They were sealed away after their victory to wait for the time when they might be needed again. I won’t go into too much detail on the technical parts—I really don’t understand it myself, to be honest. But what’s important is that they are needed again.”
“Why? I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention or not, but I don’t see any soldiers marching across the plains. There’s no war fires burning in the forests. And last time I checked, Emperor Roann wasn’t amassing armies and hoarding weapons.”
The three friends looked to each other, concern crossing their collective expression. Maxx immediately took notice.
“What did I say? You all look like death just tapped you on the shoulder.”
“The emperor may not be amassing armies yet…” Kaia’s tone was serious.
“I think you’ve slept a little too long, young lady.”
Ryris’ eyes were pleading. “Dad, darkness is looming. And Roann is at the heart of it.”
“Listen to you—‘darkness is looming’. You sound like one of those damned fortune tellers!” He stood and moved to a small cupboard, retrieving enough tea cups for them. Setting them on the table, he walked to the fireplace and grabbed the boiling kettle. “I said I’d listen to your story, I didn’t say I’d believe you. Besides, what proof do you have that it’s Roann? You can’t just go accusing the emperor of being in league with the devil without something solid. He’d have your head—and I can’t protect you from that.”
“Hasn’t there been any strange news from Keld? Nothing about his behavior?” Ryris questioned his father.
Maxx shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t get much information from the capital.”
Ryris looked to Kaia for guidance, desperate to find some way for Maxx to pay more attention. He was relieved when she took over the conversation. “An old giant with long standing ties to my family agrees with us, Sir.”
“A giant!” Maxx laughed heartily, pouring scalding water into the cups. His body quaked as he guffawed, splashing searing drops all over the tabletop. “Have you three been eating crazy mushrooms?”
“Just listen to her, Dad.”
Maxx sat again, prying the top off of a small wooden box. He offered each guest a tea bag before choosing one for himself. Plopping it in his cup, he sat back with crossed arms and waited for Kaia to begin again.
“My father was the ruler of this land before Roann’s family took over. His name was King Galroy Farnfoss. He…”
“Princess, eh? Not bad.”
“Dad, stop interrupting.” Ryris glared at his father. Maxx held up an apologetic hand.
Kaia continued. “He had a confidant—a blind giant named Phia. She was trusted more than anyone in his royal court and was the only one who knew where Jaric, myself, and our other companion, Ealsig were interred.”
“I don’t see anyone else with you, Lass.”
“She’s hidden in the forests surrounding your village. And yes, we know it’s dangerous.”
“Better you than me.” He lifted the tea bag, checking the potency of his beverage. “Go on.”
“Phia still lives, thanks to the longevity associated with her heritage. We had a day to sit and talk with her about what the future holds, and unfortunately—it’s not good.” Kaia removed the tea bag from her mug, setting it on a saucer. Maxx offered her a small bowl of sugar, which she politely refused with a smile. “During the war I fought in, we were up against a terrible foe named Lyrax. We finally defeated him, but at great cost of life and land. Phia—and we—think that somehow his soul lingered and laid in wait until he could find the perfect protégé to help him.”
“Help him do what?”
“Return. I know it sounds too simple, but hear me out. This world is peaceful, submissive. It’s the perfect target for a power-hungry maniac bent on revenge.”
“And you think Roann is this protégé?”
Kaia nodded, sipping her tea. “We know it sounds completely unbelievable, but there’s no other explanation for the events of the last few months.”
“What do you mean, ‘events’?”
Kaia looked to Ryris, silently imploring him to tell his father about what happened in Keld. The young alchemist sat up straighter, squared his shoulders, and told him about Roann’s visit to the shop. Maxx listened intently, dipping a biscuit in his tea. When his son finished, he offered his opinion.
“I’m skeptical this one instance has any bearing on an impending world war.”
Ryris shifted his weight in his chair. “Sometimes people aren’t what they seem, no matter how hard you want to believe they’re doing right by you.”
Maxx sat silently for a long moment. His gaze flitted between the three friends, watching as they anticipated his response. He finally nodded with a great sigh. “You might be impulsive, but you’re no dummy. I’ve got no reason not to believe you, even if it is a bit far-fetched.” He looked to the two stern warriors. “Your friends here don’t seem like the type that would waste their time on some ninny-chase. So…” he paused, carefully contemplating his next words. “…what do we do now?”
Ryris was relieved to hear his father finally accept his tale. True, he was obviously still a bit skeptical about certain aspects of the story, but Ryris knew Maxx was now committed to them. It felt good to have the old man on their side.
“You don’t do anything. You stay right here and keep on running the business like nothing is amiss. We can’t afford to let on to Roann and whoever else is watching or listening that Kaia and Jaric—and soon Ealsig—have returned. They’re already afraid Lyrax may know they’re awake, we can’t afford to bring more attention to ourselves.” Ryris rubbed his chin. “Our goal right now is to get to Ealsig and find…” He stopped himself at Jaric’s deliberate throat clearing. It was obvious the warrior didn’t want Ryris to reveal their whole hand quite yet. But Maxx, being quite the observer, wasn’t going to let his son’s verbal misstep go unnoticed.
“Find what?” He raised an eyebrow.
Ryris knew Maxx was a man of his word. He’d stay silent even if the hounds of hell were chewing his feet off. The alchemist glanced knowingly at Jaric, assuring him it was safe to let Maxx in completely. Jaric just sat there, silent.
Kaia rose, grabbed her knapsack, and returned to the table. A moment later, she had produced the cloth pouch containing the sacred shards and hilt. “These are the remnants of a sword. This weapon ended the war. When I deployed its power, it shattered, and the shards were collected and taken from the battlefield. My father decided they needed to be hidden—to ensure they never fell into the hands of evil. We’re trying to locate them all, in the hopes that we can somehow put them back together and use the weapon again—if so nee
ded.”
“Why not just make a brand-new one? There’s plenty of sword smiths in the world.”
She sighed deeply. “I wish it were that simple, Mr. Bren. The material came from a well-protected mine in Zaiterra, and the master weapon-makers with the technique are long gone. Plus, we’d need an extremely talented wizard to enchant the weapon.”
“Don’t know where you’d find one of those nowadays…” Maxx eyed Ryris mockingly, causing the young man to roll his eyes and huff. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Maxx pushed a biscuit crumb around on the table with his thumb. After a few awkward, quiet moments, he finally spoke again.
“Well, seeing as that you fools have a long road ahead, you’d better shack up here tonight. I won’t have anyone in the village sayin’ you died in that forest because I didn’t feed you properly.”
~~~
“You’re not using enough force. They’ll never turn to dust with such a weak hand.”
Ryris scoffed at his father, mouth hanging agape in offense.
“Sorry…you know what you’re doing.” Maxx went back to his own work.
Ryris returned to his mortar and pestle, pulverizing some troll teeth. The two Brens worked in silence for most of the afternoon, only talking now and then to go over a recipe or ask one another for an out of reach ingredient. Ryris was enjoying his time back with his father, doing what they both did best, making quick work of Maxx’ impressive order pile. His companions were hunkered down in the house behind the shop, cleaning and polishing weapons and armor.
“So Dad…did Mom or Gran ever tell you more about their family history?”
Maxx carefully measured a beaker full of thick, blue willywort syrup. “Not much. Only that they were from far away and they weren’t alchemists. Her old dad was furious when she married me.” A satisfied smirk crossed his lips at his wife’s rebellion.
“They never talked about ancestors or anything like that? Or where they got my amulet?”
The Alchemist: Dawn of Destiny Page 32
