by R. T. Cole
Advancing on the storefront, he examined every inch of it, believing that something would tell him why he should be there. In the window, he could see many objects that he had no knowledge of; most likely, they were there to attract curious customers into the shop. A few signs on the other window flaunted the arrogance of the fortuneteller.
You’ll find no better fortune in the East!
Come in and find out your destiny!
For only 5 silver, I will reveal all that you wish to know!
Andemar frowned. He speculated that he might not have to rush to see this person, especially if he was as eccentric as the displays made him out to be. Slightly disappointed, he wondered if his grandfather was in a right state of mind before he passed. He shook off that notion right away; he never knew the former King to ever lose his mind, even in the end. But, when would he fulfill his word and visit the Foreseer? He asked himself again.
When will be the right time?
He caught sight of another sign in the same window. His eyes widened and he was left stunned as he read the message.
Need to find out more about your TAINTED items?
Do you think you have the BLOOD of a Sage?
If you have the WILL to find out, step inside!
He looked at the shop with determination. Resolved to fulfill his grandfather’s wish, he swore to himself:
Soon.
Chapter 13
A DANGEROUS ROAD
It had been two days since news of the King’s death reached Stoneshield. On the first night, many who knew him shed tears. The next night, everyone mourned a bit differently. While the citizens of Stoneshield illuminated their windowsills with candles, Marc and Hana led a prayer in their hall, wishing King Victor good fortune on his way to Volsi.
Merroc and Jasian stood beside their parents with their heads lowered in respect, while Paxton and Ashra positioned themselves near Rudimere and his Dragoons in the center of the room. With the passing of King Victor and the ascension of Vandal to East King, Rudi now became a Prince of Angelia, along with his brothers. Marc had decided it would be best for Rudi to accept the prayers for his grandfather, as he was the only member of the Royal Family in attendance there.
“May your grandfather find mead and merriment in the Hall of Legends; and may he forever rest in the arms of the Gods,” Marc spoke to Rudimere.
As the crowd in the hall lifted their cups in honor of Victor Palidor, following Marc in turn, the Lord of Stoneshield spoke loudly for all to hear.
“Eternally in Volsi!” he shouted.
“VOLSI!” the people responded as they took a drink of their cups. What followed was a night of celebration, in tribute to their former King. Stories were shared, laughs occurred, and emotions ran high.
Rudimere paid special attention to the looks he received that night. He assumed it was because of his new position as a Prince, but wondered if anyone thought of his role at the head of the mission. Suddenly he had become paranoid that the others thought he wasn’t up to the task. Perhaps it was the drink that dulled his senses, but Rudi decided it would be best to get some rest before heading out in the morning.
On his way out of the great hall, he examined the behavior of his comrades that would be accompanying him to Evermount. His cousin, Jasian, was discussing something with Ashra. She didn’t exactly look happy, but Rudi couldn’t tell for sure. Paxton was observing the two of them from the other side of the room while he downed cup after cup of ale. It looked as if Paxton was about to head over to speak to them, but was interrupted by some of the Dragoons, who only wanted to drink some more as they convinced him to do the same.
Not wanting to handle that kind of scene, Rudi continued to head for the doors out of the room. His uncle stopped him in his tracks.
“Rudi. Off to bed already?”
“I need some rest, Uncle Marc,” Rudi yawned.
Marc nodded and then embraced his nephew. Rudi closed his eyes and returned the gesture. When they finished, Marc put his hands on Rudi’s shoulders.
“Don’t linger on the dead for too long, Rudi,” Marc warned. “You’ll need all your wits for the journey to Evermount.”
Rudi agreed and headed to his bedchamber. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep, but at the same time he remembered the accolades of his grandfather fondly. Knowing the trek would be dangerous, just as it was when his grandfather fought in the Sorcerer’s War, he resolved to push forward in memory of the great Victor Palidor.
On the morning of their leave, Rudi and his companions set out for Evermount. Marc had offered one last message for them.
“Give my regards to Lord Drudorn when you see him,” he yelled with a smirk on his face.
Rudi almost laughed at the blatant jab. While seeing the Lord of Evermount’s face at the mention of Marc would be amusing, Rudi also reminded himself of his aunt’s cryptic message to deliver. He didn’t dwell on it, as there was no deciphering something only a Varian would understand.
Accompanied by his friends and the Dragoons, Rudi was also glad to have his cousins join them. Merroc still seemed as rigid as ever, which reminded Rudi of Thasus in a way; though, Merroc’s constant facial expressions led the others to believe he was incapable of smiling.
“He’s still upset that he’s not home with Mother and Father,” Jasian confessed.
Rudi and the others tried many times to convince Merroc that the cause was worth leaving his home for, but Merroc didn’t agree.
“I’m here on Father’s orders,” Merroc said. “Let’s get a move on, gather the allies we need and be done with it.”
There were times that Rudi felt real sympathy for Merroc. When they were all growing up, Rudi spent most of his time with Ashra, Paxton, and Jasian. But being the oldest Bowlin, Merroc was periodically kept from playing children’s games by his father. This was another familiar habit of Eastern Lords, Rudi would eventually discover. His own father did the same thing to Thasus, but from time to time, Rudi believed that his uncle treated Merroc even more unfairly.
“Patience, Brother,” Jasian said. “After Evermount, we’re most likely visiting Triton, and then making our way south to Summerhold.”
“We already have an Argon with us,” Merroc pointed out. “Is her father not aware of her whereabouts? Does he have no plan of aiding us in the war to come?”
Ashra locked eyes with Merroc and gave him a scathing look.
“What are you insinuating, Merroc?” she fired back. “My father wouldn’t hold true to his oaths?!”
Realizing that he went too far, Merroc attempted to diffuse the situation.
“Apologies, Ashra. I only meant that we would have no need to travel to Triton if your father has already agreed to assist us,” he proposed.
The others took a moment to think about the reality of that statement. They could save a lot of time by skipping Triton and, instead, visiting the South King right after securing Lord Drudorn’s support.
“That’s a good idea, Merroc,” Rudi admitted. “Ashra, do you think that your father would support us after receiving a single letter, or would a personal visit be more appropriate?” He knew that siding with Merroc might be an issue with Ashra later, but thought he’d at least try to reason with her.
Ashra had confided in Rudi a few days earlier, saying that she wanted to see her father again before getting too far into their journey. She was unsure if that would be the last time they’d see each other.
“Rudi... you can’t ask that of me.”
She felt a touch on her arm and saw Jasian atop his horse right next to hers. Before he could say anything, she turned a shade of red.
“Don’t!” she cried.
Jasian withdrew his hand from her arm, raising it in defeat. The others noticed this exchange as well, but it was Paxton’s furious look that attracted Jasian’s attention.
“Pax, you ok?”
“Fine,” Paxton lied.
After a day of riding, Rudi and his entourage built a fire so they could camp for the night. He couldn’t
help but feel that their first day of traveling was off to an awkward start. The next morning, they continued on. They barely spoke to one another, and when they did, it tended to become an argument of some kind. An agreement couldn’t be reached on the visit to Triton. Ashra wanted to see her father; Merroc wanted to be home defending Stoneshield during the war. Rudi and Jasian tried on different occasions to convince Ashra that Merroc was right, but she wouldn’t hear it. Paxton mostly stood out of the arguments; at least until it seemed Jasian did something to offend him again.
During one of their stops to rest, Jasian took out his sword to train himself in his fighting form. Paxton threw his food down and advanced on Jasian angrily.
“Why must you do that every time?” Paxton barked. Jasian was taken aback and stopped to look at Paxton, confused. “We all know that you can’t wait to fight someone, but this is getting a bit tiring.”
He was referring to the many times that Jasian mentioned over the years that he’d love to go to war and fight. Children often said many things like that, but even into adulthood, Jasian perfected his swordplay in preparation for war. Fate, as it would seem, had answered Jasian’s wishes.
“Have I done something to offend you, Paxton?” Jasian asked. He noted that Paxton was acting strange since the moment he stepped through the gates of Stoneshield.
Paxton returned with a comment that was less than witty.
“Everything you do is offending me,” he said.
Jasian scoffed at this and sheathed his sword.
“My apologies for keeping up with my training,” Jasian said sarcastically. He shook his head, staring down Paxton. “What happened to you? You’re not the knight that I remember. You dishonor yourself.”
Paxton was floored. He seethed with animosity and stormed toward Jasian.
“Dishonor?!” he shouted. “I’m not the little Lord playing games!”
“Games? Hardly! And who are you calling ‘little Lord’?” Jasian tilted his head.
“That’s enough, you two!” Rudimere shouted.
“This is some company,” Merroc added.
“Oh, pipe down, Merroc!” Ashra interjected.
With the arguing going on, nobody noticed the screams from the perimeter of the camp. Dragoons fell to the ground quickly, while more scattered to grab their weapons.
An ambush!
Rudi ran to his tent, grabbing his sword in the midst of the chaos that ensued. He saw Jasian unsheathe his sword again and instantly get into a fighting stance. Merroc quickly unleashed his greatsword into the torso of an enthusiastic raider.
“Thieves!” Ashra yelled.
The sound of swords clashing could be heard from all corners of the camp. Arrows flew into the ground at multiple points, narrowly missing many, but connecting with unfortunate members of the Dragoon forces. The number of enemies in the camp appeared to multiply within a matter of seconds.
Ashra swung her sword upward into the jaw of one man, while another man landed on the end of her blade as she swung again at his throat. She then impaled another thief with a long stretch of her sword; she enjoyed using her weapon in the way that her father would use his trident.
Paxton was caught fending off two men at once. He quickly dispatched one with a slice to the chest, and then rounded on the other with a parry that locked their swords into place. It seemed the bandit was bigger than Paxton and would overpower him in moments. With a sudden shift in weight, Paxton allowed himself to drop to a knee as he freed a hand to draw a dagger from his boot. The blade met the bandit’s eye and Paxton dropped the man to the ground.
Rudi could see Jasian and Merroc dispatching bandits, one after another, while they stood back-to-back. Jasian was fast and deadly with his sword; he made quick work of three men, while Merroc took his time swinging his abnormally large sword, dealing massive blows to those who were stupid enough to charge him.
“The gold, the gold! Grab the gold!” One of the bandits was yelling to his cohorts as Rudi chased him down. The bearded man lured Rudi deeper into the forest, out of sight from the others. Once they got far enough, the bandit turned to Rudi.
“You got me. I give up.”
Rudi made it two steps toward the man when he heard rustling in the trees. A number of bandits, with their bows drawn on him, began to encircle him. He lowered his sword and sighed, disappointed that he fell for the trap.
“We don’t wanna kill you, we just want the gold you’re all carrying,” the bearded one said.
“Funny. My men, who you’ve already killed, would beg to differ,” Rudi remarked.
The bandit let out a hearty laugh.
“Well, you have me there! Boys, let’s finish up; I wanna make time to count all the gold pieces before I sleep tonight.”
“You got it, Aganale,” one of the thieves said as he looked to be the one to deal the final blow to Rudimere.
In a moment, Rudi pictured everyone he cared about in his life: his parents, his friends, his brothers, Andemar’s children. He also thought about his stupidity at running after Aganale without thinking twice of the repercussions. He shut his eyes, preparing for the inevitable...
CRUNCH
The man who was ready to shoot Rudi stopped and looked around. The rest of the men also looked confused at the noise. Aganale pulled out a dagger and, through nervous breaths, he called out, “Who’s there?”
“Excuse me,” a voice said.
Each member of the thieving group, including Aganale himself, turned to face the source of the voice. A man stood there against a tree, holding a green apple as he took another loud bite.
CRUNCH
He was ordinary in height, had a head full of black, disheveled hair, and shabby clothes that could probably tell a story all on their own.
“You do realize the odds are not in that poor man’s favor?” the man asked Aganale.
Rudi looked at the man’s face, trying to gauge his allegiance, but could only surmise that the man was truly out of his mind for interrupting the bandits.
“Who are you?!” Aganale shouted.
“Just a simple traveler, my friend,” the man replied as he chomped on his apple. “Why do you want to kill him?” he pointed to Rudi nonchalantly.
Aganale sneered. “The same reason we’re going to kill you, friend,” he threatened.
“I have no gold,” the traveler said, turning out his pockets. “I’m unarmed. There’s no reason to kill me.”
“Then mind your damn business,” Aganale scoffed.
Quicker than the blink of an eye, the traveler launched multiple daggers at the bandits in the circle, landing the steel in their throats. Hidden behind the tree he was standing beside, an axe appeared in his hands and he was attacking Aganale’s men before they even knew what was happening.
At the same time, Rudi hadn’t hesitated and he grabbed his weapon from the ground and joined in the fight. He found himself standing back-to-back with the traveler as they dispatched the thieves.
“The odds are much better now, wouldn’t you say?” the man said loudly to Rudi over the noise of the battle.
Rudi cocked an eyebrow. He really is crazy, he mused. Soon enough, Rudi’s companions found their way to the fight in the woods.
“Rudi! You alright?!” Paxton yelled.
“Fine!” Rudi shouted back, attempting to ignore the distraction. “Had some help!” he nodded over his shoulder to the traveler.
After a minute or two of fighting, things seemed to wind down until Aganale clashed swords with Rudi. The bearded bandit was older than the young Prince and attempted to use his strength to beat Rudi into submission by bringing his sword down hard. Rudi evaded one last swing and spun around Aganale, connecting his own sword with the man’s back. The bandit yelled, and pressed his attack again, but found himself impaled by Rudi’s blade. He slumped to the floor, dead before he hit the ground.
Things started to quiet down and it appeared that they had fought off the band of thieves looking to rob them.
The traveler walked over to Rudi, examining him as Rudi stared down at Aganale’s corpse.
“The first man you’ve killed?” The traveler inquired. Rudi nodded as he came back to his senses. The man looked Rudi up and down. “You’re a little late, no?” he said, referring to Rudi’s apparent age. Rudi chuckled as he looked at the man.
It happened in an instant. Rudi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side. He stumbled, trying to catch his breath. Fear and astonishment took over as he hit the ground. Looking down at the source of the pain, he saw an arrow sticking out of his left side. Just as fast, he saw the traveler turn to the archer in the distance. The remaining bandit attempted to draw his bow again, but the traveler launched his axe with both hands, smashing the archer in the chest.
Ashra was immediately by Rudi’s side, followed by the others. The sounds of their screams began to drown out. Rudi’s ears started to ring and his eyes shut. There was only darkness.
Chapter 14
DEAL AT THE FROSTFORD
Thasus was well known as a man without fear. Those who knew him best would say that he longed for the challenge of anything that stood in his way. This time, the entirety of the North stood in his path. The trek from Whitecrest to the fork of the Fool’s Marches was already a difficult one, but it was the Fool’s March to the Ford that presented the biggest challenge. Snow came down every hour, piling up the path that Thasus needed to take, making his footsteps slower in the process. He was lucky that he prepared for this when he left Angelia, not just with the right equipment and clothes, but with the knowledge as well.
The night before he left his home, Thasus sat with his father and spoke of the perils of the North, especially the Fool’s Marches, which were starting to live up to the name.
“Be very careful, son,” Vandal had said. “It snows more often than you’ve ever seen in your life. As long as you stick to the Fool’s March, you’ll stay on track.”
“I will,” Thasus nodded.
His father leaned in and became grim.
