He took his knife out and cut off three of its claws and placed them into the leather pouch that hung from his belt.
Eliath gave him a questioning look.
"I’m going to make you a necklace. If we ever come across one again, I want it to know that we have seen its kind before, and killed it."
A small smile came across Eliath’s lips, and he just nodded. They didn’t bother taking the worvak home with them, its fur coat smelled of bog and its meat was tough. So they heaved up the Fen and started out again. Lucian thought about the incident with growing concern as they moved through the woods.
"We have to tell the village council of this. The people need to know that a worvak was so near the village. They need to be aware when they go out into the wilds that they could be in danger."
Eliath gave only a short nod in agreement. He looked equally troubled by the sighting of the worvak. They had been attacked before out in the woodlands, several times by wolves which are kept at bay easy enough with fire, and once by a bear, which ended up a cloak for Eliath. But this was a worvak. They were supposed to live further north, past Vorea. Lately there have been accounts of them throughout the southern lands, and it has been making quite a stir. Nobody knew why they were coming south, but everyone was bothered by the sudden change.
"Hopefully mother will be making some of that onion, mushroom, and liver soup," said Eliath, changing the subject.
Lucian nodded and rubbed his growling stomach. While they hunted they usually didn't eat much. They brought dried bread, and fruit with them, and when they wanted to, they would catch a rabbit, or squirrel to cook or make a stew. They spent most of their time tracking during the day, and stalking at night, when the bigger game was out, thinking it safer to travel under the cover of dark. Eating was always an afterthought.
In the morning they would take some of the meat from the Fen to the butcher in the village and have him make some of his spicy, dried meat strips from it. The thought of being home was becoming more and more delightful. Lucian loved to hunt, and he spent a lot of time out in the woodlands around his village, but at home with his parents, he always felt at peace.
His parents where older now, and he enjoyed taking care of them, he loved them dearly. They had raised him, and his brother Eolic, with such love and patience. And when Eliath came into their lives, they treated him like a son as well. Raising three young men was not always the easiest chore, Lucian knew. They were simple farmers. They lived in a simple home, working hard through the summer years to harvest enough food to eat and trade for some other items that they would need, to live through the winter months. They were never rich, but Lucian enjoyed his youth just the same. His father instilled strict morals and work ethic into them, and there was never a shortage of love coming from their mother. They balanced each other out. Lucian cared for them greatly, and could not wait to be home again.
As they came out of the woods, to the edge of the field behind their home, a cool wind passing through the trees carried the smell of soup. The aroma made them both put their heads back, close their eyes, and breathe in the savory scent.
†††
"Erland!" called Batrice. "Erland dear, could you bring some more firewood in for the stove? I have to get this soup to a boil. The boys could return home today." She scurried to and fro, around the small room that served as the kitchen space as well as the dining area, cutting up onions and mushrooms for her two hunters' favorite soup.
It was a small, simple home, as were most of those that were built near the boundaries of the tribal lands, made from lumber cut from the trees in the nearby forest by Erland, and furnished with only what was practical and needed. Batrice tried her best to give it a woman’s touch by hanging beautiful colored plants inside and tending to her small flower gardens around the house. They were lucky enough to have a small barn, thanks to Erland’s prowess in craftwork, so they didn’t have to bring their animals inside the house during winter. They worked hard for such a home out on the country side with land they could call their own.
Batrice hoped that the boys would be home tonight, they had been gone for weeks. Which was not unusual, but she missed them just the same. “Erland did you hear me?” she yelled again, her voice more urgent.
"Yes dear," said Erland with a cringe. He got up from the old rocking chair on the porch, set his pipe on the table next to his chair and made his way to the wood pile. "You have been saying that since the day after they left, Batrice. The boys like to hunt you know, not sit around here and take care of some old lady!" Erland chuckled at his own wit as he grabbed a few small logs.
"Don’t you start with me Erland, and who do you think you are, calling me old. I’m still the prettiest woman you ever laid eyes on you old fool."
Erland put the logs into the fire stove and gave her a swat on her rear as he passed. "Well that’s because you keep me locked away in this house, how could I know if there are prettier ladies out there?" He snickered again as he gave her a wry smile and hugged her shoulder to him. Whispering into her ear he said, "You know you’re the only woman for me, punkin."
She nudged him with her elbow and huffed. "That’s cause I am the only one that will have you...ya old bag of bones."
Erland bellowed out a deep, rolling laugh, and gave a harder swat to her backside, then walked out to his rocking chair. After he had packed his pipe some more and struck the fire stick to light it, he rested his head back on the chair and started rocking again. "I wonder if Eolic will come home tonight." He heard his wife let out a loud sigh at the remark.
"That boy should find a woman to marry, and live with, instead of just shackin up with different ones around the village." The irritation in her tone was obvious.
Erland nodded in agreement even though she couldn’t see him. "I don’t know what else to tell him, Batrice. You now Eolic, whatever you say to him seems to pass right through his head, no matter how thick it is."
Batrice paused as she was about to throw some spices into the soup, her voice becoming more serious. "He knows that what he is doing is not right, Erland. That is not how we raised him."
A few minutes of silence went by when Erland spoke up finally. "We gave the boy a good upbringing, he will come around I think. He knows we don’t approve of his behavior, we have told him so many times." He happened to be staring off across the field and caught sight of some movement at the edge of the wood. "Batrice, the boys have returned, and they have brought back something big!"
Batrice nearly knocked over the soup as she hurried around the table and made her way to the back porch. Her face was beaming with joy as she waved excitedly to Lucian and Eliath.
†††
They strode up to the house and set down the Fen, just in time for Batrice to run up and snag them both in one big hug.
"Oh boys, so good to have you back, you were gone so long!!"
Lucian hugged his mother back so firmly that it made her gasp for air and then giggle. "No longer than usual Mother."
Erland came up and gave both men a firm handshake. "Well met men, and good hunting I see." He looked to the beautiful creature they had brought and his eyes went wide, "A Fen! The townsfolk will be green for weeks!" He gave a hearty slap to both young men on the shoulder and made his way back to the rocking chair.
"This was a strong one father,” said Lucian, as he fetched some rope to hang the Fen so they could skin and clean it. "He had a run in with a worvak judging from the gash on its hind quarter there."
Erland’s eyes narrowed as he turned and inspected the Fen's injury. "He must have been quite fast to escape the worvak, if that is indeed what made the injury...what makes you think it was a worvak?"
Lucian threw the rope around one of the large crossbeams in the barn beside the house. He had to speak loudly so his father could hear him. "Well, we were pretty sure it was a worvak at first because of some marking that we had found, thinking that either one of the beasts had come down from the north or that the Fen had been up
north and had come south after it was attacked."
Erland's eyes narrowed even more. "Bah, Fen don’t travel like that, they stay close to where they were created."
Lucian nodded. He hadn't wanted to bring it up right away, but realized that his father's clever prodding would not end. "Yes well, we were sure that it was a worvak when we were attacked by one not far from where we had made the kill. It was probably stalking the Fen when it came across our scent."
Erland and Batrice both stood with their mouths agape. Erland's pipe fell onto the floor and Batrice dropped her ladle.
Eliath spoke up when he noticed the shock on his adoptive father’s face. "It's ok, we weren’t harmed."
"Weren’t harmed!!" yelled Batrice, she ran over to Eliath and grabbed his chin, shifting his head so she could see the dried blood in his hair and gave him a withering glare.
Eliath had tried to wash it out in a creek but must have missed some. He silently punished himself for the mistake. "It was nothing short of carelessness that caused this wound mother, you needn't worry.”
Lucian chimed in. “Eli saved my life again." Before Eliath could deny it, Lucian cut him off. "I was caught off guard and if not for Eli throwing himself into the beast, I would have surely been killed. And if he hadn’t been so distracted by making sure I was unharmed, he would have never taken that blow to his head."
Batrice gave Eliath a huge hug, thanking him over and over while Erland patted him on the back. Eliath frowned over at Lucian. "You spin stories like a bard."
Lucian let out a deep laugh, much like his father, and put his hand on Eliath’s shoulder. "I only speak the truth my friend."
Batrice looked like she was near to tears from the homecoming. Erland was back in his chair mumbling to himself and chewing on the end of his pipe that he had recovered from the floor. Lucian noticed the worried look on his father’s face and lightly gripped his arm.
"Father, we were unharmed, you don’t have..."
Erland looked up at him in confusion and then swished his hand in the air, stopping Lucian in mid-sentence. "Bah, I’m not worried about you two. I know you can handle yourselves, but a worvak, this far south? Where did you kill it?"
Eliath spoke up, "Only two hours from here, by the river."
Erland’s mouth dropped open again as he shot up from his seat, "That close to the village? The council must hear of this!"
Lucian placed his hands on his father’s shoulders, urging him to sit down. "We are going into town tomorrow. We will tell the Town Crier, and bring the matter to the Council. Don’t worry father."
Erland seemed to calm a little and realized that his boys must be starving. "Well let’s eat then. Batrice, is that soup ready yet?"
Batrice smacked him in his shoulder as she passed. "Well now that the boys are home there won’t be enough for you, you’re going to have to eat wood chips instead."
Everyone laughed except for Erland, who was just upset because it wasn’t his joke that everyone was laughing at. As they were sitting down to eat, the door swung open.
"Eolic!" yelped Batrice in surprise. "Oh I’m so glad you came home, your brother has just arrived from another hunt."
Eolic walked up to Lucian, frowning at him. "Still a little tadpole I see."
Eolic was the older brother by four years but was not as tall or as muscular as Lucian. But what Eolic lacked in height, he made up for in temper, and attitude. Lucian chuckled at the slur and Eolic slapped him hard on the shoulder. "You may be big, but don’t ever think you could begin to handle your older brother."
Lucian was pretty certain that he could best his brother if it came down to that, but he just sat in his chair, smiled up at him and shook his head, going with his usual tactic. "All that training that you get in the militia has made you quite the warrior, I’m sure."
Eolic puffed out his chest and lifted his chin in pride. "That’s right little brother, don’t you forget that. I’ve tried to talk you into joining the militia but you would rather dance around in the woods all day like a filthy druid."
Lucian leaned back in his chair casting Eolic a serious scowl. "I’m sorry that I don’t find going to war, and taking another man’s life as glorious as you do."
"Yes, yes, we know little brother,” answered Eolic, his smugness unending. “You think it’s wrong to kill a man. You would rather sit and share tea with him I suppose." He blurted out a laugh at his own joke.
Lucian maintained control of his temper and turned his back on Eolic, something that he knew always enraged his older brother. "I don’t believe that fighting and killing is always the answer, that’s all."
Eolic pointed an angry finger at him then. "Well maybe you should move to Vorea and become a diplomat, there you can sit around a table with other cowards and argue about sending good men to war!" Eolic slammed his fist down on the table and swiped away his own chair. His face was beet red as he glowered at Lucian. "You think that your better than me is that it little brother?"
Lucian’s scowl deepened. He knew that Eolic was trying to bait him, as usual, trying to get him to fight. Lucian guessed it was so that he could try and prove to himself that he could win, but Lucian would never fight his brother. Although Eolic was always rude and obnoxious, Lucian still loved him, and did not want to hurt him, even if it was just to teach him a lesson on pride. He relaxed in his chair and tried to put on a submissive expression. "No brother, that’s not what I think at all, I hold you in the highest respect. You protect our village against those that would try and rule us. You are a great warrior, and my elder brother."
Eolic studied Lucian for a time, narrowing his eyes. He started to say something but stopped. After a few more moments of contemplating Lucian’s remark he put his hands behind his back and hooked his fingers into his belt. A self-satisfied smile grew across his face and he nodded. “Good, I’m glad you realize the truth of things." He picked his chair up and sat down, starting in on his meal.
Eliath looked away from the table to hide his grin. Lucian’s mother and father pinched their lips together to do the same. They had all witnessed such incidents before, where Lucian’s sly tongue and humble nature made Eolic out to be a prideful fool to everyone around but himself.
Erland broke the silence. "Ahhh, so good that we are all here together, is it not?"
Batrice joined in. "Oh yes, I’m so glad all my boys are home with us. Things get so humdrum when the three of you aren’t around."
Eliath and Lucian chuckled to themselves. Eolic sat looking at all of them giggling, obviously confused as to what was so funny.
Erland decided to start up a conversation by telling Eolic of the worvak that Lucian had killed. Eolic looked surprised at first but then seemed to shrug it off as if not important.
"There have been several worvak seen near the village in the past week,” said Eolic, as if unconcerned. “The village guard have killed them all with little problem. Lucian probably found one that was near death from being injured attacking my men, that’s all."
Now it was Erland’s turn to slam his fist onto the table. "Eolic you proud fool, your brother would not lower himself with such lies, apologize at once!" He seemed as if he would strike out at Eolic.
Batrice stood and gently gripped her husband on the shoulder, trying to calm him with her touch, but he stayed rigid, a deadly glare fixed on his son.
Eolic seemed surprised by his father’s reaction and mumbled an apology to Lucian.
Erland relaxed his shoulders a little but kept his glare locked onto Eolic for a few moments before he finally looked back to his meal and began eating again.
Batrice changed the subject quickly and everyone seemed to shortly forget about the tense moment.
After they had all finished eating and had talked about different goings on within the village Eolic was the first to arise.
"Well I must be going. I have some militia business to attend."
Erland and Batrice cast each other a sidelong glance. Eolic pretended not t
o notice. He gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek, thanked her for the meal, and hurried out the door.
Lucian’s glare could have burned a hole in the back of his older brother’s head as he left. "Proud fool," he muttered.
Eliath nodded. "Pride is one of the hardest demons to conquer. We must hope that when Eolic falls, his pride does not destroy him in the process."
Erland shook his head as a small smile came across his lips. "For a man of little words Eli, the ones you choose to speak, certainly hold great wisdom."
Eliath bowed his head slightly in thanks for the praise. Batrice walked over to him, rubbing his shoulders. "We have been blessed to have such a wise man befriend our son. I wish Eolic could have met such a friend."
Lucian stood, giving Eliath a clap on the shoulder. "Get some sleep my brother, tomorrow we must get into town early to see the butcher before he gets too busy."
Batrice grabbed Lucian’s arm. "Make sure you tell the council about the worvak, they must know of this."
Lucian hugged his mother, enveloping her with one arm. "I will bring it to the Chief Counselor himself."
Batrice gave him a short elbow to the ribs. "I’m sure you will, and I'm sure his daughter Gwendaline will be happy to see you as well."
The councilor’s daughter fancied Lucian and was not shy about it. He was always uncomfortable with how forward she could be. "Mother, don’t start."
Batrice frowned a little. "But she is the Chief Counselors daughter. You couldn’t ask for a better family to marry into."
Lucian gave her a strong hug, squeezing her breath away. "Wealth and power can’t grant me the happiness that love could mother."
Revelations of Doom Page 2
