Dawn of Man (Thanos Book 1)

by Watson, Thomas A

  Jedek looked around as he gripped his sword. “Ahnon,” he said with some worry in his voice.

  “Yes, I know, but Talon hasn’t spotted anything,” Ahnon said.

  “Minos,” Jedek snapped, and Minos came over to him. “Go see if anyone’s there,” Jedek said, pointing ahead.

  Minos looked at the buildings, panting. “Play,” he said, and broke into a run.

  “What is with you two?” Kenna asked.

  “Kenna, look at the buildings,” Ahnon said. “They are huge and made of stone.”

  “So? They’re smart farmers,” she said, making Ahnon groan.

  Jedek reached over, grabbing her hand, “Kenna, that took a long time and a lot of work. Something’s not right.”

  Gripping the reins tighter, “Then what are we doing heading toward it?” she asked, getting worried.

  “I want to know what’s going on,” Ahnon said.

  When they reached the houses, Minos came over. “Nobody here to play with,” he said.

  “Get down,” Ahnon said, getting off his horse then tying it to the hitching post. With staff in hand, he walked past a stone water well in front of the building he took for the house. The first building they went past was definitely a barn with a log fence around one end and a silo to one side. He didn’t know what the second building was, but it had a water wheel in the stream.

  Stopping in front of the house, a term he used loosely, he saw it was bigger than many mansions he had seen. There were four windows along the front, all with closed, thick wooden shutters. In the middle were two massive, wooden doors. The kids came up behind him.

  “Ahnon, this place is huge,” Kenna whispered.

  “Yes, I can see that,” he said, grabbing the sliding board and pushing the doors open. The inside was pitch black before Ahnon threw in a ball of light. The kids followed Ahnon inside and stopped, looking around. The building was just one massive room. To their right was a loft over a quarter of the floor and a ladder leading up to it. Under the loft, they saw four beds lined up against the wall. On the back wall was a massive fireplace with four large chairs. In the center of the room was a huge, wooden table with eight chairs around it. A real stove was in the back left corner. Ahnon walked around the room as Jedek counted his steps: forty paces long and thirty wide.

  “Follow me,” Ahnon said, heading to the back right corner, casting another ball of light in front of him. That was when they saw the hole in the floor. The ball of light floated down it, and the kids watched Ahnon head into it. Running over, they saw him walking down a spiral staircase, so they followed.

  The cellar was as big as the single room above them. Surveying the room, they saw a door on each end and the back wall. Ahnon opened the doors to find the ones on each end were very large, empty rooms, and the one on the back was a much bigger room lined with shelves.

  When Ahnon walked out of the room with the shelves, he stopped in the middle of the cellar, looking at the doors at each end. Jedek could see Ahnon didn’t like something. “What is it?” Jedek asked.

  “A wizard lived here,” Ahnon said.

  “Well, that explains how this place got built,” Kenna said. Her muffled voice echoing across the cellar.

  “A wizard lived here, but magic didn’t build this cottage,” Ahnon told her, looking around. “My purse is on dwarfs. Magic can’t build to this detail.”

  Kenna looked around. “You can tell a wizard lived here by looking at the walls?” she asked.

  Ahnon shook his head, lifted his arms, and pointed at each room on the ends of the cellar. “Those are component rooms. You always have two that are separated. One for positive components, the other for negative components.”

  Kenna looked around. “What’s the room with the shelves then?” she asked.

  “Food storage,” he answered, heading for the stairs. They followed Ahnon outside to the building with the water wheel and went inside. They froze upon walking in. The far wall next to the stream was full of gears and levers. In the center of the room was a huge forge, and on the far wall was a kiln. Around the room were several anvils but, like the house, nothing else.

  The forge was half the size of the cottage, and the kids wanted to ask questions but saw the tension in Ahnon’s body as he walked out. They followed him to the barn, and like the cottage and forge, it was stone as well, but it was even bigger than the cottage. Stables lined one wall with a hay silo in the back corner and a loft above them.

  Jedek walked around, rubbing the ledges. Like everywhere else, the dust was an inches thick. “Ahnon, nobody’s been here in a really long time,” he said.

  “Yes, I know,” Ahnon said, walking outside and looking around. From the barn, they could see down the rise to the glade and all the way to the river. Ahnon sniffed the air and headed to the stream beside the forge. Stopping on the bank, he pulled off his glove and stuck his hand in but yanked it back out fast.

  “What?” they both yelled, Kenna grabbing a spell pouch and Jedek grabbing his sword.

  “It’s hot,” Ahnon said, putting his hand back in. The water was hot but not enough to burn; it actually felt pretty good. He stood and headed back to the cottage. Walking back inside, he said, “Open the shutters.”

  Ahnon helped them then looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. “You’re right, Jedek. Nobody’s been here for at least fifty to a hundred years. The problem is this place has never been used.” Jedek and Kenna just stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

  He walked over to the fireplace. “It’s only been used once or twice, and the forge has never been used. There used to be stuff here, but it’s been taken out piece by piece. Look on the walls. You can see where pictures or tapestries used to be. Some show they have been gone longer than the others, like where dishes were on the mantle. But they were taken long ago. Jedek, like you pointed out, ours are the only footprints in the dust.” They looked down, confirming it.

  “So what happened?” Jedek asked.

  Ahnon threw up his hands. “I have no idea, but you don’t just leave this,” he said, motioning to the cottage. “The forge alone cost more than a small castle. Throw in the rest, and you could’ve built one.”

  “Maybe they left to get some stuff and got attacked?” Kenna offered.

  “Okay, so who came back and took the stuff out a piece at a time?” Ahnon asked.

  Kenna shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to help,” she admitted, walking over to the table and seeing the layer of dust. “I’m glad I have on a mask; otherwise, I’d be sneezing till next year,” she mumbled. Reaching out, she dragged her finger across the table, leaving a trench in the inch of dust. Then, a large section of dust moved. “AHHH!” Kenna screamed, jumping back, and Ahnon spun around with his sword out.

  “What?” Ahnon hissed, looking around.

  “It moved,” Kenna said, pointing at the table. Ahnon walked over with his sword out and looked down at the table. He saw her finger mark and a large rectangle of dust that had shifted. Reaching down, he nudged the rectangle of dust, and it slid separate of the area around it. Grabbing a corner, Ahnon lifted it and shook it to find a piece of parchment with a note written on it. He read it, shaking his head.

  “This was written two hundred and twenty-one years ago,” he said, lowering the parchment.

  “What does it say?” Kenna asked, walking over with Jedek behind her. Ahnon handed it to her and walked around, looking, as Kenna read out loud. “To whomever finds this place, be warned this area is full of monsters. My family was going to mine for iron to make steel and collect magic components, but there are too many creatures around here for us. If you stay, be careful, and don’t go to the grove to the south. It is the home of a very large fairy tribe. Have seen everything from dragons to sirens and some things we can’t even name. Much luck to you, signed by Mangus.” Kenna looked up.

  Ahnon stuck his head out from the loft. “No, Kenna, we aren’t going south for anything. You don’t go into a fairy’s
tribal home unless invited,” Ahnon said, jumping down.

  Jedek looked around. “Well, what are we going to do?” he asked.

  “This is home now,” Ahnon said.

  “What about the monsters?” Jedek asked.

  “This whole range is full of monsters, Jedek,” Ahnon said. “Open the windows and the door in the back.” Jedek spun around, for the first time noticing a door in the far left corner. They opened the doors and windows, and then Ahnon rushed them outside. Jedek and Kenna ran outside and turned around just in time to see dust billow out of the house with a torrent of wind. Next, they heard water rushing behind them and turned around to see a tube of water hovering off the ground, heading toward them. Jumping out of the way, they looked back at the tube of water and noticed it was flowing off the ground toward the double doors.

  Through the windows, they could see water blasting everywhere and flowing out the door under the tube of water. Then the tube hit the ground, soaking both of them as it splashed. Then another gust of wind flowed out of the house, sending rain out of the windows and doors. After what seemed like forever but was only a few minutes, the wind stopped.

  They walked back inside, and it looked totally different. The entire cottage was spotless with Ahnon standing in the middle of the room. He looked at them. “Get our stuff in here,” he said, walking out. He moved to the forge and barn, doing the same thing, making them spotless. When he got back, the kids had moved everything inside and were sitting at the table with their stuff lying across the beds.

  Kenna looked at him, grinning. “That was so wild.”

  Ahnon took off his mask. “Since we don’t have to build, I didn’t want to waste time cleaning,” he said, walking over to his bags. He walked back, carrying a stack of parchment and a flowing ink well. “You two put the horses in the barn and make supper. We have a lot to do over the next week,” he said then sat down and started writing.

  Jedek looked at Kenna. “I kind of like this place,” he said, turning to see Minos chasing a rabbit. Minos was now so large the rabbits would turn sharply, and when he tried, he would fall, rolling end over end as he crashed.

  “We are so lucky he caught one,” Kenna said, leading the horses to the barn. “I like this place too, Jedek. We have a home at least till we finish training.”

  Chapter 24

  The next morning, Ahnon woke them before sunrise. “Eat, and we’re leaving,” he told them abruptly.

  Jedek sat up. “I thought we were staying?” he asked.

  “We are, but this is too good of an opportunity to pass up. It will literally take years off your training.”

  “Years?” Jedek asked, shocked.

  “Yes, Jedek. You asked to be trained, and it doesn’t happen overnight,” Ahnon said. “Since we don’t have to build, I’m going to take advantage of it, so eat and dress. Leave your packs, but bring your weapons and full hunter dress,” Ahnon said, walking outside.

  They ate fast then dressed as they ran outside to the darkness and saw Ahnon talking to Talon and Minos. Then they noticed their horses were saddled, and the others were behind them with the mules, all of them bareback. “Let’s go,” Ahnon said, jumping up on his horse. Kenna and Jedek climbed on and had trouble finding Ahnon in the darkness as they caught up to him.

  “What’s the hurry?” Kenna asked.

  “We have four months till winter and a lot to do. When we get back, you two will start training,” he answered.

  “Okay, but where are we going?” she asked.

  “Delmuth’s farm.”

  Jedek jerked in his saddle. “Ahnon, it’s over three days away, so what’s the hurry?” he asked.

  “We will ride hard and be there tomorrow morning. We only stop to eat and rest the horses. When we leave Delmuth’s, we go to town.”

  “What about Talon and Minos?” Kenna asked.

  “They are guarding the house.” Kenna started to worry about them. “Kenna, don’t,” Ahnon said. “You really think something will hurt Talon? And he will watch Minos.”

  Riding hard through the day and night, they reached Delmuth’s farm a few hours after the suns rose. The family rushed out to greet them as they hopped off the horses. Jedek and Kenna were sore, but over the past few months, they had learned how to sleep while riding, so they weren’t that tired.

  Delmuth walked over. “You rode these horses hard. What’s after you?” he asked with concern.

  Ahnon looked at him. “Nothing,” he said, taking off his hat and mask. “I want to make an offer to you and your family.”

  “What kind of offer?” Delmuth asked, squinting.

  Ahnon pointed to the house. “Let’s have a seat so I can tell you,” he suggested, and Delmuth nodded, telling his kids to put the horses in the barn.

  When they were seated, Ahnon put his saddlebags on the table. “Delmuth and Ava, I want to start a business with you right here.”

  They looked at each other then back to Ahnon. “Ahnon, in case you haven’t noticed, there not be too many folks around these parts,” Delmuth said.

  “That’s part of the deal. There never can be.”

  Ava leaned over the table, putting a hand on her husband’s arm. “Ahnon, tell us of this offer.”

  “I want this family to start a small craftsman’s school here, training horses, raising bocha hounds, blacksmiths, seamstresses, and the like. You will go and bring back several families and start building. You will surround one hundred acres with a fence, and that is to be the only place where people will live. Livestock, fields, and a few buildings can be outside the walls, but no humans may live outside the walls. A city will not develop here for any reason.”

  Delmuth gasped, not believing what he was hearing as Ava spoke. “Ahnon, even if we did that, we can’t control what others do around us.”

  “By spring next year, the King of Fantshu will send a deed giving us domain a hundred leagues in every direction. Your family will be in charge of this, and the child who you pass this on to will be held by the same terms. We split the ownership fifty/fifty,” he told her.

  Delmuth looked at Ahnon. “Ownership? What about the money?” he asked.

  “Sixty/forty,” Ahnon said.

  “You’re going to give us forty percent just to run it?!” Delmuth shouted, jumping back.

  “No, sixty. I’m taking forty,” Ahnon said, and Delmuth forgot how to talk. His mouth moved, but no words came out.

  “You have the money to start this off?” Ava asked in shock.

  Ahnon reached in his saddlebag and pulled out a very large leather pouch. Opening it, he poured it on the table. The kids ran over, looking at the pile of gold and silver crowns. “That’s a hundred gold crowns and two hundred silver,” Ahnon said, pulling out another pouch, throwing it on the table. “The same is in there.”

  Delmuth just started babbling, staring at the coins. Ava stood. “What do you get out of this?” she asked. “Don’t say forty percent,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

  “Your silence and an ally,” he answered, shocking her. “You are to never tell anyone about us no matter what,” he said, handing her a large piece of parchment.

  “Who are you really?” she asked as she started reading.

  “If you agree, you will find out. If not, you will have to keep holding the creatures at bay with your witchcraft,” Ahnon said with a wink. Ava gasped and dropped to her chair.

  “How?” she asked.

  “Little things, but I can say you are a pretty good one,” Ahnon said.

  Delmuth looked up at Ahnon. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “Very,” Ahnon said. “We will step outside and let you discuss it.” He turned to the door.

  Ava stood. “We accept,” she said, this time shocking Ahnon.

  “Don’t you want to talk about it?” he asked.

  “We have,” she said, and Ahnon looked at Delmuth.

  “You heard her; we have,” he said then looked at the money.

  Ava s
miled at him then looked at Ahnon. “I can see you want to bind this magically,” she said, raising and eyebrow. “I ask the same, but witchcraft from our side,” she offered.

  “Deal,” Ahnon said, pulling out ink and quill. Ava put her hand on his arm as he signed. Then he did the same as Ava and Delmuth signed. Ahnon pulled out a stack of papers. “I made a list to outline the training and areas of study, but by all means, make adjustments,” he said. “There is also a list of what will be waiting for you in Dilhoth. Make a list of what I forgot and what you need to look for in the families you bring here. Remember you will have to buy enough food to feed everyone through winter,” he said, grabbing his saddlebags.

  Delmuth stared at Ahnon then the coins. “Ahnon—” was all he could manage.

  “The first master craftsmen will be here in the spring, so you don’t have much time,” Ahnon said. “There is more I wrote down,” he added, walking to the door.

  “Where are you going?” Delmuth asked.

  “Dilhoth, feed and water the horses. We’ll be back in seven days,” Ahnon said, motioning for the kids.

  “Ahnon, that’s over two hundred leagues away!” Delmuth shouted, jumping up.

  “Yes, it is. You need to start training your oldest to ride. We will be bringing some wagons back, but some will need to ride,” Ahnon said as the kids walked outside. “When we get back, you really want to consider heading toward the city. It should only take you a month to get what you need and come back.”

  Delmuth chuckled. “See you in seven days,” he said when Ahnon walked out, and he looked at Ava. “You were right; this place is our gold mine,” he said, watching the kids staring at the pile of coins.

  “Yes, it is,” she said, looking at him. “You know who they are?” she asked, and he shook his head. “The kids are the King and Queen of Gratu.” Delmuth gave her a confused look. “It’s in the contract. The ruling king was killed, and Ahnon is their sho-ka, keeping them in hiding. We can never tell anyone, or the contract will be broken, and we lose all.”

  Glancing at the kids, “Ava, what about the kids?” Delmuth asked.

  She chuckled. “They don’t hear me, Delmuth. Only you do,” she said, looking at him. Delmuth looked down at the kids poking at the money.