The Stewards of Reed, Volume 1: The Rise of Fallon

by Wark, RM

  “Thank you again for your service, Gentry,” Isaiah said, taking a seat across from him.

  “You are most welcome, Steward. Would you care for something to drink?”

  Before the Steward could answer, the bartender put down a pint in front of him. The Steward rarely frequented pubs, and the bartender wanted to pay his respects.

  “Thank you,” said Isaiah to the bartender, raising his pint glass. He took a sip and seemed distracted by his own thoughts for a moment before he turned to Gentry and asked, “Might you be interested in doing some additional work for me?”

  “Aye, sir,” Gentry said, albeit hesitantly. “Though I might want to rest a bit before taking another long journey. Casper, my horse, could use some recovery time, too. Perhaps in a week or so?” he offered, though it was clear he was hoping for even more time than that.

  Steward Isaiah chuckled. “Thank you, Gentry. Do not worry, I have no plans to send you out of the region any time soon. I was just thinking that perhaps you might help me with some training exercises. I am in the process of training someone, and I could use help with some of the more physical aspects. I am not as young as I once was,” he admitted with a small smile.

  It was then that Gentry and Hammond knew that the next Steward had been marked, and they supposed that was probably the nature of the message to Lady Dinah. Suddenly everything made sense. “Aye, sir, I shall be happy to help,” responded Gentry.

  “Very well, then. I shall be in touch in another week or two. Rest for now.” Steward Isaiah excused himself and headed back to his house, still pondering what to do about Fallon. “I need more time,” he said aloud with a sigh as he walked along the cobblestone streets. “I need more time.”

  *************

  The Western Wizards had always taken a special interest in the Village of Reed. Many tribes had attempted the perilous journey across the West Samora Sea to the Western Territories before, but the Reedites were the first tribe that the wizards allowed to remain. The tribe’s leader – for whom the village is named – was marked, something the Western Wizards had not seen before of the common man. The wizards suspected some ancient magic was at play, so they let the Reedites be. They watched from afar with much curiosity as the village remained relatively unchanged through the centuries, even as other towns and villages in the Laureline Region were established by later tribes – tribes that were less ancient, whose leaders bore no marks.

  Although Steward Isaiah had been disappointed by Lady Dinah’s response, the wizard had in fact taken his message quite seriously. She felt she still owed the Steward a debt of gratitude for providing refuge to her and some of the other Western Wizards during the Second War, and she felt guilty for the plague that followed. Nevertheless, tracking down her mother’s old journals was not an easy task.

  At the insistence of the other wizards, the library of Lady Dinah’s mother had been divided shortly after her death. They knew it was only a matter of time before the Eastern Wizards learned that the Queen of the West, Lady Delia, had died. They suspected the news would lead to a war (which it did) as the Eastern Wizards hoped to gain control over the Western Territories. Lady Delia’s library contained a treasure trove of books filled with powerful spells, and strategic notes on the history of the Western Territories and all the various mechanisms in place to safeguard it against the East. The last thing the Western Wizards needed was to have that information fall into the wrong hands.

  At the time, Lady Dinah was so caught up in the grief of losing her mother that she did not pay much attention to what happened to the contents of the library. A few random items had been left at Mt. Xavier, but most of the library had been carted off by other wizards. It had been done in such haste, there was no inventory of who had what. Lady Dinah had no choice but to reach out to each of the surviving wizards in order to learn the fate of her mother’s library.

  While it is true that Lady Dinah could have communicated quite easily with the other Western Wizards using her crystal ball, to do so would put her safety and the safety of the other wizards in jeopardy. For every time a wizard used their crystal ball, all of the magical defenses employed to conceal the location of the wizard (such as the maze of infinitely looping trails that confounded Gentry) ceased to work, thereby exposing the wizard, the wizard’s home and all of the wizard’s helpers to great danger – especially in this time of increasing troubles in the East. Hence, crystal balls were reserved for emergencies only, and Steward Isaiah’s dilemma was certainly not an emergency.

  White doves, ravens and carrier pigeons were favored methods for sending messages between the Western Wizards, but Lady Dinah was reluctant to use them. The birds had been instrumental in conveying messages between Mt. Xavier and the borderlands as of late, and she did not want to risk losing a feathered friend (it had been known to happen from time to time) for something like this. Furthermore, Lady Dinah was not quite certain what she would write in the message anyway. She would not be able to describe the journals – they were something she would only know by sight – and she was reluctant to go into detail about Steward Isaiah’s business and why she wanted the journals in the first place.

  Thus, Lady Dinah decided she must visit the wizards in person if she was to help Steward Isaiah in his quest for information. The Second War had taken a great toll on the Western Wizards, but there were still about a dozen left, scattered throughout the Western Territories. Most lived in remote areas that were incredibly difficult to reach, with various physical and magical barriers in place to prevent unwanted guests. These barriers had become even more impassable after the Second War when the Eastern Wizards proved there were ways to penetrate the old defenses. Lady Dinah’s own castle of white on Mt. Xavier had been taken over by a loud gang of ruffians during that war. While they never did manage to gain entry into the private library, they ransacked quite a few of the rooms and it had taken years to restore the castle to its former glory.

  Shortly after receiving Steward Isaiah’s message, Lady Dinah took to the road, posing as a wayward traveler. It is quite common for wizards to disguise themselves in this manner when they travel; as it turns out, most people are not that interested in wayward travelers and are inclined to leave them alone. Those that make the mistake of harassing these particular travelers are not usually given the opportunity to make that mistake again.

  Gordon and Abigail had objected fiercely to the idea of her traveling alone and wanted to come along, but Lady Dinah would hear nothing of it. “You shall only draw unwanted attention my way,” she insisted. She was right, of course. The sight of little people always made others stare. Some even had the audacity to approach and grab at them as if they were toy dolls.

  So Lady Dinah set out alone, her jet-black hair covered by a scarf and her white robe now concealed by tattered rags of traveling clothes. Only her piercing dark eyes hinted at this wayward traveler being something more than she seemed on the surface. “I shall have Otto provide me with a suitable horse and then I shall head west to see Lord Quaid. Aye, it has been a while since I paid a visit to the Taiga Forest and its famous white deer. I am quite looking forward to it,” the Lady said aloud to herself, as she headed down the trail to Yukon.

  *************

  The training of Fallon continued, but Steward Isaiah himself would admit it was half-hearted. He knew there was so much more he should be teaching the boy, but he held back, still uncertain of things. Lady Dinah’s message had done little to ease his mind about the boy. If anything, he was even more troubled. Fortunately the addition of Gentry had brought some energy to the training process, and Isaiah’s reservations and reluctance – which would have otherwise been painfully obvious – seemed to go unnoticed by Fallon, or so the Steward thought.

  Fallon did in fact perceive that the Steward seemed ill at ease around him and lacked the initial excitement he showed when they first met. He was not certain what he had done – aside from being useless at the bow and arrow and other weapons – but he tried h
is best to please the Steward nonetheless.

  It was not long before the end of Heptuly was finally upon them. When he had originally requested time off for Zeke’s 6th birthday, Fallon had been led to believe he would only be permitted to spend a few days with his family, but the Steward had apparently changed his mind. Isaiah had recently informed him that he could stay in Littlebrook for upwards of six weeks. “I know it is close to harvest time and I am certain your father would appreciate the help. Though we must work especially hard when you return to make up for lost time,” the Steward had explained. Fallon was grateful for the additional time off and did not question the Steward’s change of heart. Isaiah only hoped it would be enough time to figure out what should be done about Fallon.

  Fallon could not believe how big Zeke had gotten in the short time he had been gone, but no one surprised him more than Attawan – the foal was almost taller than he was! Everyone was eager to hear about all the things that Fallon had been up to, but he was more interested in what had been going on back in Littlebrook since he had left for the Village Square.

  Fallon thoroughly enjoyed spending his days on his father’s farm, even when the rain soaked him to the bone and the grueling fieldwork made every muscle in his body scream in pain. He found himself longing for the life he would never have now that he was marked. Elizabeth, Jonas and Talia were frequent guests at the house of Tobias while Fallon was there. It was nice to be surrounded by friends and family again. It was nice to be home.

  “So what sort of magical powers do you have, Fallon?” Zeke asked one night as he was stuffing his face with one of Elizabeth’s pies. “Can you lift really heavy things like cows?” Fallon could not remember the last time he had laughed so hard.

  The weeks flew by and before he knew it, Steward Isaiah was standing at the door of the farmhouse waiting to bring Fallon back to the Village Square. It was sad to leave his family yet again. Being home in Littlebrook had reminded him how lonely it could be the Steward’s house, even with Beatrice and the big black dog, Mobley, to keep him company. Fallon was also disappointed to learn that Attawan was not quite ready to come with him; they had spent a good bit of time together these past few weeks and had grown close. Fallon hated the thought of having to wait several more months before he could see his family again and finally bring his birthday present with him. He was annoyed and somewhat downcast, and he had little to say.

  The Steward’s mind was preoccupied and he failed to notice Fallon’s mood. The time apart had done little to help Isaiah figure out what to do about the boy. He was trying hard to “trust his instincts” as Lady Dinah had suggested, but his instincts were conflicted at best. He perceived Fallon with a mixture of awe and uncertainty. The boy was clearly special, yet his mark was not the proper mark. Isaiah was not yet convinced that it was Fallon’s destiny to be the next Steward.

  Fallon perceived the Steward’s uneasiness right away – the time apart had made such things more obvious. Perhaps this was the reason that he did not tell the Steward when he had another one of his dreams just a few days after returning to the Village Square. It was not like the fire dream – there was nothing overtly threatening about this latest dream – but it was unsettling nonetheless. For now, he said nothing, and Steward Isaiah was none the wiser.

  *************

  Lord Quaid had made his home in the Taiga Forest for hundreds of years, and in that time he had put in place plenty of safeguards to keep the unwanted away. He had managed to unleash a masterful confusion spell which affected anyone who dared take a single breath under the canopy of the forest of white trees. The impact was not as strong on fellow wizards, but even Lady Dinah was having a hard time making her way through the forest, especially when she started to grow tired. She kept forgetting which direction she came from, and which direction she was headed, and she found herself walking in circles more than once. Her head was always clearer in the early morning hours after a good night’s sleep, and that is when she made most of her progress.

  Being a wizard, she had the good sense to know when her capacities had been compromised, and quickly learned to camp out instead of trying to forge ahead against the confusion. She also had the good sense to avoid drinking from the cool streams that crisscrossed through the forest. There was a hint of rainbow color to them, something most people would not have noticed, but it made her distrustful. Fortunately, being a wizard, she knew how to conjure up a canteen full of water or wine (depending on her mood) when she became thirsty. Had she taken a sip of the rainbow-colored water, she would have been cursed by an unquenchable thirst that would have driven her back to the stream time and time again, against her will, for just one sip more.

  But the worst part of Lord Quaid’s domain was by far the nasty fairies. They buzzed around like little gnats, looking for any opportunity to play dirty tricks on those who dared enter their forest. More than once Lady Dinah found herself tripping on the path – which was quite out of character for the graceful wizard – only to hear the incessant laughter of the fairies that quickly darted back into the cover of the trees. At night, when she would set up camp, they would call out to her: “Come, come this way, we shall take you there,” and she found herself inexplicably drawn to them, but always managed to keep her wits about her. In the morning she would often find that her food had gone missing. This particular morning she spent hours searching for her horse. The fairies had led him away from campsite and tied him up to a tree several hundred yards away.

  Lady Dinah had no desire to waste any more time with the fairies. So when night fell, she put a spell on the reins of the horse. Anyone who touched those reins, other than the wizard herself, would find themselves trapped in a bubble and unable to move. The next morning Lady Dinah awoke to find two fairies floating in bubbles above her horse.

  “Well, well, what do we have here?” she asked, with immense satisfaction. “Perhaps next time you shall think twice before playing your little tricks on me.”

  The fairies’ voices were at an incredibly high pitch and she could not make out what they were saying, but it was clear they were angry. The fairies began trying to claw their way out of their bubbles, though it did not take long for them to realize their efforts were futile.

  With a wave of her wand Lady Dinah popped one of the bubbles and grabbed the fairy by her wings. Drawing the fairy close to her face, Lady Dinah spoke in angry, measured tones. “Tell Lord Quaid that I, Lady Dinah, desire to speak to him, and that if I must spend another night outdoors in this absurd forest, I shall not be held responsible for what I do to your friend, or any of the little white deer that cross my path. Now GO!” she bellowed, as she released the fairy’s wings.

  The fairy was stunned for a moment, but quickly gathered herself and did what any self-respecting fairy would do – she bit deeply into Lady Dinah’s hand and then buzzed off.

  “Ouch!” cried Lady Dinah, and she quickly lifted her wand. But it was too late, the fairy had disappeared. The other fairy, still trapped in her bubble, was laughing so hard that Lady Dinah thought she spied a few tears coming from the little gnat’s eyes. With a flick of her wand, the bubble raced up and down and all around before slamming into a nearby tree. Lady Dinah chuckled a bit at the sight of the dizzy fairy that was no longer laughing, but in truth she was worried. She had no idea if the fairy she had just released even cared about trying to save her friend. There was a good chance she would not even go to Lord Quaid, and Lady Dinah would be stuck going in circles in the forest for several more days or even weeks.

  Ordinarily Lady Dinah would have tried to make some headway into the forest before the confusion spell took hold, but she felt compelled to stay at the campsite and wait for the other fairy to return. Several hours had passed and Lady Dinah was just beginning to lose hope when she heard a deep buzzing sound in the distance. The buzzing sound came closer and closer and before long, Lady Dinah and her horse were completely surrounded by a swirl of fairies. As if in a tornado, Lady Dinah and her horse were
lifted up and carried deeper into the forest. Before she could panic, the fairies set her down on the ground again, this time in front of gigantic fortress of wood and stone.

  As the fairies parted, Lady Dinah observed Lord Quaid stepping out from the front door of the fortress. “So good to see you again, Lady Dinah, or I suppose it is Queen Dinah now? To what do I owe this pleasure?” It had been a while since he had seen her, but it was easy to tell that Lady Dinah was not amused, and Lord Quaid quickly dispensed with the questions and invited her in for tea.

  *************

  Summer quietly turned to fall and a glorious sunshine finally poked through the marine layer that had been coating the region in wispy strands of fog more often than not during the past few months. The days were still cool as the sunlight was not as strong, but the clear blue skies were a welcome sight and the mood in the village was noticeably upbeat.

  Steward Isaiah was in a particularly good mood one day when he mentioned to Fallon that later that week they would be heading to the Cadian Forest with Gentry to work on some outdoor skills and botany lessons. Fallon was particularly excited as this would be his first trip out of the village. He spent the next few nights busily reading anything he could find on the Cadian Forest and the nearby Town of Graves.

  They were standing outside Steward Isaiah’s house making final preparations to leave when they caught sight of a horseman galloping fast towards them. It was Adam. “Steward, I have received word from your son, Samuel,” he said, catching his breath. “It seems little Calvin is gravely ill. Elder Catherine is on her way to see him now.”

  Calvin was Steward Isaiah’s youngest grandchild. He was quite a mischievous five-year-old, but his bright red hair reminded Isaiah of Nora and he had always had a special place in his heart for the boy.