by Cox, Craig
“She is dead?”
“Yes Bronn.” He replied solemnly.
The old man lowered his head before looking up at the sky whispering a small prayer. Braden turned to Alexander his eyes were cold. No emotion was showing and it didn’t look right. He was used to his friend’s eyes being full of passion.
“Braden. I am so sorry.”
“Thank you Alex. But we need to move.”
He stepped up to them both looking Bronn in the eye before Alex.
“She told you.”
Braden nodded to Bronn. Alexander was confused, told him what?
“Give me that.”
The old man pointed to the old crooked blade that Braden had in his belt. His friend passed it over without a second thought. Bronn pushed the blade into the earth before reaching round his waist untying his sword belt and handing it back to Braden. As he grabbed the scabbard, Bronn drew the blade quickly from its sheath, Alexander was shocked at the speed. He knew that the old man was skilled but Bronn had always made himself look as if age had slowed him and if it had, Alex dared to think how quick he had once been. The blade was polished steel reflecting the flames from the village even from this far away, Alexander could tell the blade was made by an expert craftsman, even his father would be jealous of a blade like that. The blade was just over a metre long, ending in a silver cross guard, the handle was wrapped in white leather and sat in the middle of the guard.
On both sides was an emblem of a rose made from a single white stone. Alexander could tell that it symbolised something important to Bronn. It was as well taken care of as the blade, shining in the light from the flames.
“Thank you Bronn.”
Braden placed the belt around his waist tightening the buckle before Bronn passed the blade back to him.
“Take care of it.”
Braden then turned back to Alexander.
“Alex, you are my best friend, but I understand if you want to go to Corshire with your mum and dad.”
“Why? Where are you going?”
Alexander was surprised. Why wouldn’t he want to go to Corshire, was it because of his mother? Maybe seeing people from the village would make him think of her.
“I need to go to the Capital.”
“The Capital? Why would you need to go to the Capital?”
“That’s where my father is.”
Alex could feel the hurt in his voice speaking about his father, he couldn’t truly understand how he felt but Braden had spoken to him a few times about how he hated his father for leaving his mother the way he had. That, if he ever saw him, he would beat him within an inch of his life for what he had done or not done.
“Look, it’s my mother’s wish for me to see him at least once.”
“Braden, you don’t need to explain yourself. I'll come with you, what are friends for. Bronn are you coming with us?”
“No. I'm not welcome in the capital, not at the moment.”
“Will you go to Corshire and tell my parents about where we are going and we will be back as soon as we can?”
“Of course. Maybe between myself and Uther we can come back to salvage something of Farnshire.”
He paused looking over the two young men, he caught both their eyes before continuing.
“Now listen you need to move quickly, we don’t know where the attackers are or where they came from. But me and Alex observed them heading East and North. It looks like they are heading back onto the Silver Road, which as you know is the quickest way to the Capital. Instead you need to head West into the forest then North West until you reach the port town of Maidenpool, taking a ship from there around the cape and up the river towards Alton. It’s slower than by horse but quicker than by foot so it may be a blessing in disguise.”
“Thanks Bronn. One last thing.”
Alexander watched him turn and face the small house he had called home, he could just make out a whisper of a prayer before Braden threw the lantern onto the thatched roof. The door was left open and the flame took hold quickly. Alexander raised his head to the sky and prayed out loud for Braden’s mother to watch over them. Looking back down Braden had turned around a smile on his face, his face was wet but again his eyes were cold.
“Thank you.”
“No problem Braden.”
Chapter VIII
Alexander
Alex pushed back a branch to allow him to keep moving forward, the trail was rarely used and overgrown in many places forcing them to either cut through or make their way around. Looking up into branches he could just make out the sun’s position. It was almost noon and they had been on the move since before sunrise, his body was caked in sweat, the moisture in the air causing his clothes to stick to him. Braden couldn’t take off the chainmail shirt Alex’s father had given him and from the looks of it, Alex could see he was suffering in the conditions more than him. He was worried about his friend, he had hardly said a word since they left the village, only a few short lines like ‘we need to go left’ broke the silence between him. Alex didn’t know if he should break the silence or not, he knew his friend was hurting inside, he had just lost his mother, his home and now he was heading to the capital to find his father. Was he going for revenge for leaving him and his mother or was he heading there for solace in the one family member he had left? He didn’t seem angry, nor did he seem happy about heading to the capital, just empty, which was the worst of feelings. He decided he needed to break the silence, just to gauge how his friend was feeling.
“So… How long do you think we are going to be in here for?”
There was a long silence and for a while he didn’t think Braden was going to reply, until he stopped.
“I don’t know maybe three or four days, we keep going back on ourselves this trail is anything but straight.”
Alex smiled, Braden’s voice didn’t sound distraught or upset which was good. Alex ducked under another low branch, he wasn’t looking forward to the trail getting any worse. Braden was a little more nimble than him and could duck and weave around the low branches and over the roots which crisscrossed the path. He had already stubbed his toe on three or four occasions and was already tired of the forest. Suddenly the silence was broken by a scream, Alex jumped smacking his head on the branch he just ducked under, he watched Braden spin in front of him drawing Bronn’s blade in one fluid motion. Alex turned himself raising his hammer, he didn’t know what he was preparing for. Was it the attackers from the village or perhaps a vicious animal which lurked in the forest? They both stood still. There was hardly any wind blowing and it had become eerily quiet without the sound of their own movement. Then the scream came again, this time it was closer and louder. It sounded like a child.
“It’s close, come on.”
Alexander didn’t have a chance to respond, as he watched Braden dart past him back down the trail. He knew his friend had the hero sprit but after last night charging towards the sound of screaming was the last thing he wanted to do. Launching into a jog he followed his friend back down the path, he struggled to keep up with Braden as he sprinted away.
“Slow down, it could be a trap.”
He couldn’t tell if his friend had heard him as another scream ripped through the forest. Alex was already tired. They had hardly slept the night before and had been moving ever since they woke to the fires in Farnshire, the run was taking the last bit of strength away from him. He saw Braden take a left away from the trail and followed suit. Turning off he leapt up and over the trunk of a fallen tree into a clearing. Stopping on its edge he saw Braden kneeling just to one side. Alex couldn’t tell if he was alright he was staring at the back of the chainmail shirt. He ran across to his friend, who seemed to be talking in a hushed voice. As he got near he saw blood on Bronn’s sword and immediately tightened his grip on the hammer.
“Braden are you alright? What…”
Within a few feet of his friend he saw the outline of a small boy. Walking closer he soon got a full view him.
&nb
sp; “Troy. Are you ok?”
Alex knelt down next to Braden, the boy was sat on the floor his eyes full of terror. He flinched at the sight of Alex and then again when he knelt down beside him.
“Yeah, he seems ok, I can’t see any bite marks, more scared than anything.”
Alex watched Braden as he surveyed the boy for any marks. Troy’s eyes were locked on something over Alex’s shoulder. He turned to see the decapitated body of a snake. The beast was huge, almost ten foot long it’s body was dark green the underside a bright gold and as thick as Alexander’s leg. He stood and looked around finding the Beast’s head a few feet away, rolling it over with his foot he looked into its blood red eyes. It’s fangs still protruding from the corner of its mouth. It was the largest snake he had ever seen. He had ventured a few times into the forest with his father when they needed Knotacher wood for his forge. It was a tree native only to the south of Arda and a majority of it grew here it was one of the reasons blacksmiths in the Roost were sort after. He had seen a few snakes then but the largest was three or four feet in length.
He remembered a story his father had told him, on one of their first trips into the forest to keep him close to himself and the edge of the forest.
“Braden. Do you know what this is?”
"A very big snake!"
“It’s a Golden Naga.” Squeaked Troy.
Troy's voice was full of fear. He was right to be afraid, the Naga was the most dangerous snake known to man. To see and survive such an encounter was extremely rare as they normally hunted at night, the venom was the most toxic substance in the continent, a small drop enough to kill a man in ten heartbeats and a phial was worth Alex's weight in gold. The old women told that to see a Naga and survive was a sign that the Goddess Ori not only favoured you but had given you a great destiny. Adventurous and ambitious Knights use to stalk the forests of Arda and Eridth looking for the Naga hoping to slay one and gain riches and fame. Alex felt something well up inside of him before he burst out laughing, catching Braden and Troy by surprise.
“For such a legendary and terrifying beast, you did quite well my friend. Maybe you are destined to be great.”
He mocked his friend, who only looked at him with slight distaste, before nodding down at Troy who still sat there frozen in terror. Alex smiled at the compassion his friend showed to the boy, it seemed the previous night’s events had not hardened his soul as much as he thought. Stepping closer he knelt down next to Braden and whispered into his ear.
“Perhaps we should call it a day. We are both tired and the boy will need some rest as well, I doubt he slept last night. We’ll walk to the next clearing and pitch up there for the night. Give me your blade and I’ll cut up some of the snake and we can have some meat.”
Alexander pulled the small blade from the sheath on Braden’s boot before watching his friend pull up the boy and lead him back onto the path. Troy’s eyes were still locked onto the snake as he departed the clearing, heading back up the trail. Alexander looked back down at the long body of the snake, it was still twitching slightly and he had to look back over to see its separated head to steady himself before smiling. He plunged the knife into the flesh and began carving away pieces of thick muscle. Before he left the clearing he walked over to the head, he had fashioned a small satchel from some of his torn clothes and surrounding sticks. Pushing the fangs back into the jaw with the blade he placed the head into the basket closing the lid tight.
“So much for the terror of the forest.”
Chapter IX
Braden
The sun was beginning to pass over the horizon but already the forest was black, luckily for the three they had found a clearing only slightly larger than Braden’s house to camp in for the night. A fire blazed in the middle, they had already cooked the meat Alexander had carved off of the snake. Braden had to give it a once over to remove any remnants of the creatures bowels but his friend had done well. He has been more than happy to finally remove the chainmail vest and t-shirt and allow his skin to feel the cool breeze of the early evening, but now he was starting to feel the cold and had edged closer to the fire to keep warm. After some food Troy had become a little more talkative, his eyes were still full of fear and he jumped at the slightest noise. The poor boy had seen the worst of the attack the night before, he had been asleep when the first attack came but the butcher had woken him quietly and hidden him under the floorboards just before the attackers broke in, he watched as the butcher was brutally cut down, before the men had their way with his wife and slit her throat. He had then waited under the floor boards for what he said felt like hours before finally having the courage to come out of his hiding spot. He then spoke of how he had crept out the back of the butcher’s home only to see the two of them dart into the forest, Troy decided to follow thinking it was the way to another village. He had spent hours following them before he found the Naga, it looked as if it had actually been stalking him and Alex, but when Troy had tripped over a raised root, it turned and began to attack him. The boy had run for his life breaking into the clearing and was about to be eaten when Braden had turned up. Looking over at the boy sleeping now, he could hardly believe what he had been through in his short life, it made him think about the pain of losing his mother and how it compared to Troy’s life of misery. He smiled at the boy, he was a fighter though, he was already asking questions about what happened to them and why they were heading through the forest. He had thought they were running to another nearby town but when Braden told him he was heading for capital Alton the boy jumped at the chance to join him.
“He's been through a lot today.”
Braden looked over at Alex who was lying down next to the fire looking up at the stars.
“Yes he has, but not just today his whole life.”
“Yes but he will get through."
"I guess he has to."
Braden laid down on the ground and began thinking about his mother again. He had spent the whole day thinking about her, all the time they spent together, the memories of playing with her as a kid and then as he grew older taking care of her, wheeling her around the village and putting her to bed each night. They were happy thoughts but knowing there would be no opportunity to ever create new ones hurt the most. He shifted from side to side to get comfortable on the ground, a root was digging into his back but he finally found the right position. Braden looked up into the sky, his mother was up there now watching down with the gods. His eyes were heavy, it had been a long day, longer than any other he could remember. He closed his eyes and prayed to the god’s and his mother to keep vigil over them as they slept.
Braden’s eyes shot open, it was still pitch black and for a moment he thought he was back home and everything had just been a dream. He could hear Alexander’s snoring and for a moment he was content to go back to sleep and wake up in the morning back in his home. Then he heard it again, this time a crack from the burning wood followed and he realised it wasn’t a dream. He raised himself up on one elbow and looked around, his hand slowly slipping back to find his sword. Grasping the handle, he slowly drew the blade from the sheath as he stood up silently, the fire had died down, the flames now no more than a few inches high. He made a mental note that if this was nothing, then he needed to gather more firewood before he went back to sleep. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness as he looked out across the clearing trying to find the source of the noise. He finally caught a glimpse of some movement off to one side. He stepped around the edge of the fire and making sure not to disturb Troy who was sleeping soundly. Reaching the other side of the fire, he heard a snap, he tensed raising his sword waiting for an attack. It went quiet before the silence was broken again by Alex’s snoring looking down, he realized the snap had been him stepping on one of the three branches Alex had used for the spit. He took a closer look over the campsite and saw that the remaining meat they were saving for breakfast had gone. He looked over at his friend to see if he hadn’t been treating himself to a midnight
snack. But Alex hadn’t moved from the position he had been in when they had fallen asleep and it had been Alex’s idea to save some for the morning anyway. Braden knew that whatever had woken him had sneaked off into the distance with their food. His curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly moved across the clearing entering the forest where he had seen movement. He carefully placed each step, making sure not to snap any more sticks. He walked for ten minutes before he heard the noise again, there was a rumbling sound like water in the distance. Slowing his pace again, and moving closer to the trees to keep from sight. A few more steps and he heard movement again, it sounded low, perhaps it was another child from the village who like Troy, had gotten away.
He peered round the edge of the tree and stopped dead, his eyes and mouth wide open. Lying up against the trunk of a large oak tree was a huge lion, the beast was terrifying in size, even lying down Braden could tell that it stood over five foot tall at the shoulder. His eyes were transfixed on the beast, the moonlight siphoned through the trees onto the lion, it’s golden coat shone like gold. The beast was deadly still but Braden wasn’t sure if it was a ploy to draw in it’s prey, before striking until he saw the remains of the snake they had cooked, next to it’s front paw. Had the beast walked all the way up to their camp only to take their snake, It seemed unlikely, but then a lion the size of a horse in the centre of forest was unlikely as well. Braden felt the warmth of something brushing his leg and jumped away from the tree, raising his sword ready to attack or defend. It didn’t move, looking back at the tree Braden watched, eyes wide open in shock, as a small pitch black cub came out of the darkness. His eyes shifted backwards and forwards between the cub and the lion. He took a step back and fell against another tree behind him. He was pinned. If the adult woke up now he would be killed before he could scream for help. The cub kept coming towards him, finally stopping a foot away and sat down staring up at him, Braden didn’t know what to do. He looked down and saw the liquid gold eyes of the cub staring back. It cocked its head to one side, then bolted back towards the adult. Again Braden tensed, waiting for the attack that didn’t come. He slowly walked towards the lion and it’s cub, passing by the last tree, he could finally see the full size of the adult lion. It’s paws were the size of a man’s head and he could see the razor sharp claws sticking out as the cub slowly brushed its head against it. When there was no reaction, it finally clicked to Braden that the adult was dead and the cub was on its own. Braden lowered his sword and walked closer to the lion. It was truly astonishing in size, he could see the defined muscle of the beast beneath its skin. He reached forward to touch it, but was met by the hissing and growling of the cub. Braden pulled back his hand, and took a step back before kneeling down in front of the cub.
