Treachery in Tarnstead (Stoneblood Saga Book 5)

by Robyn Wideman

  “Nathan, Rose has been telling us all about how you built this castle. An impressive feat,” Lady Vos said.

  Nathan raised an eyebrow while looking at Rose. What had she been telling them? “I wouldn’t say I built it. It was a team effort. All the students at the mage school helped. It wasn’t originally supposed to be such a large monstrosity. We needed stones for the outer walls to defend the canyon. And it is hardly finished, there is much work to be done. We were spoiled by living with Lady Avera in Balta and now have to recreate that here in Elderwood.”

  Lady Vos looked at Avera. “Is he always this modest?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Avera said.

  Lady Vos sighed and reached into her pocket. She then slid a coin across the table to Rowan who was grinning like the cat who got the canary.

  Rowan noticed the look Nathan was giving him and shrugged. “I said you wouldn’t take full credit, and she didn’t believe me, so we made a friendly wager. Everyone knows if it weren’t for your ability to use earth magic we wouldn’t have built a castle out of the face of a mountain.”

  Nathan shook his head. “It still took a lot of work. If I’d had to move all those blocks myself, we’d still be building the wall and living in tents.

  16

  “A city of mages, what in the seven hells is that boy thinking,” said Magnus as he rode down the mountain trail.

  Hanna smiled at her new travel companion. Magnus and a female warrior, Elga, were acting as Theron’s emissaries to the celebration in Elderwood. Magnus was a friend of Nathan’s and had been very pleased to join Hanna in her journey to the new city in the south. Hanna wasn’t sure why Elga had been chosen, but Hanna was sure the king had a good reason. Perhaps he was trying to set Magnus up with a wife. “I wouldn’t call it a city of mages. My people traded often in Balta. They are mostly common folk with a handful of mages and magic users among them.”

  “Bah. A single mage is one too many,” said Magnus.

  Hanna stopped her horse and looked over at the warrior. “Are you suggesting that magic users are not worthy companions? Are you suggesting that Nathan Stoneblood is somehow not worthy of your friendship because he uses magic? Or are you saying that I am not worth your time because I use magic? Perhaps you should share your opinions on magic users with Katla. See how she reacts?”

  Magnus raised his hands in defeat. “Easy girl. You know I consider Nathan Stoneblood to be like a little brother, and you can fight at my side any time. I don’t consider either of you to be mages. You are warriors … who occasionally use magic.” Magnus looked nervously back up the trail to where Katla was riding at the end of the pack. “And don’t you dare start any trouble for me with your sidekick. I don’t like the way she looks at me at night. I wonder if I will wake up with a slit neck.”

  “Keep talking bad about Hanna and I using magic, and you might,” shouted Katla.

  Magnus groaned and lowered his head in defeat. “How in the seven hells did she hear that?”

  “Magic,” said Hanna.

  “I didn’t mean disrespect towards Nathan, nor yourself or Katla. I just ain’t liking the idea of a magic city.”

  “What would you know of a magic city? Have you been to one before? And how many mages do you know? How many magic users do you know?”

  “You know I’ve never been to a magic city before. There are no magic cities in Northern Solotine. Hell, there wasn’t no magic cities in Solotine before Nathan brought them people up from Balta. And I know one mage, Amaden Blugroson, and he isn’t a bad fellow, perhaps a little crazy but he has helped the king many times. Other than him, I know you, Nathan, and Katla.”

  Hanna glanced over at Elga to see how she reacted to the statement, but she was purposely looking down the mountain pass, seemingly ignoring the conversation in front of her. “So, you don’t dislike any of the magic users you know, but you still hate magic. That seems a very reasonable and well thought out position.”

  “I didn’t say I hated them. I just don’t trust them. Those people that took Ava were mages, and that Lord Zellox is a mage.”

  “Your logic is as faulty as your wardrobe choices,” yelled Katla from the back.

  Magnus looked down at his ceremonial shirt. “What is she talking about? This is my best tunic.”

  Hanna shook her head. “Well, to be honest, it is a little … the color choices are interesting.”

  “Purple and green are warrior colors,” said Magnus defensively.

  “That doesn’t mean you wear them together,” shouted Katla. “That shirt looks like you threw up last night’s meal and rolled around in it. And who puts stripes and swirls together on one shirt.”

  “My sister made me this shirt,” said Magnus. “She made it special, just for the ceremony.”

  “You haven’t done anything to anger her lately, have you?”

  Magnus studied his shirt as he thought back. Suddenly he sat up straighter and looked over at Hanna wide eyed. “I did say no to her marrying Ned.” He then looked down at his shirt again. “This thing really is awful isn’t it?”

  “Hideous, just like your attitude towards magic users,” shouted Katla.

  “By the gods, does she have to be so loud? I think everyone from here to Venecia can hear her,” said Magnus.

  “Well, you did insult her, along with Nathan and myself.”

  Magnus sighed and turned around, so he could look back at Katla. “I’m sorry. I was wrong to disparage magic users like that.”

  Hanna saw a small smile momentarily cross Elga’s lips as she continued to pretend to ignore the conversation going on around her. Katla on the other hand openly smiled at the discomfort she was providing the big warrior.

  “Now what am I going to do about this shirt,” said Magnus. “I only have this and my armor.”

  “Don’t worry. Balta had some of the best clothing makers in the world. I’m sure some of them are in Elderwood now. We’ll find you a more appropriate wardrobe. We’ll even get you a second shirt, so you don’t do something foolish like wear your ceremonial shirts during travel days and get them all sweaty and gross before meeting dignitaries from other kingdoms.”

  Magnus sighed. “That damn sister of mine said it would be fine to wear this for travel and the party. She must be mad at me.”

  Trying not to chuckle too much, Hanna looked ahead to the trail below. They had arrived at the old fort at the bottom of the mountain pass. The place where Nathan started earning his reputation as a fierce warrior. A lone sentry stood on the wall watching them pass, but she suspected more were hidden behind the wall.

  Beyond the old fort the winding trail started to straighten out. They were almost out of the mountains now. They came to a fork in the trail. The main part of the trail headed southeast, towards Salma, but a newer section of trail went west. Hanna led the group down the western trail. The landscape was different from Northern Solotine, even in the mountains she could tell that the land was richer, the vegetation lusher. She’d visited the port cities of the east coast, and had traveled to Venecia, the farthest southern part of the continent, but this was her first trip to the heart of Southern Solotine. From the droppings along the trail she could tell that the hunting was good here. Deer, elk, rabbit, plenty of game. It explained why the area was so popular with bandits. Easy access to food and only a short distance to Salma. Of course, with Elderwood now being even closer, the safety of any bandits in the area was now in question. It wouldn’t take the rangers of Balta long to become familiar with the area and set up patrols.

  The first sign of Elderwood came when they reached a clearing near the bottom of the mountain trail. From the clearing, she could see for miles into the forests and fields below. Several large farms with their rows of planted vegetables dotted the landscape. The land was green, and the crops looked to be prospering. Perhaps the soil wasn’t as rich as what they’d had in Balta, but the farmers were doing well in their new homes.

  Soon the path was alongside the sharp rising ridge
of the next mountain. They followed the mountain west until they arrived at the gates of Elderwood. The huge stone walls impressed Hanna. Nathan had only been here a short while, yet the walls protecting the canyon were massive and daunting.

  As they approached the gates, a soldier approached.

  “Welcome to Elderwood. Are you here for the festivities?”

  “Yes, I am Hanna Halfblood, and this is Magnus. He is the representative from Amradin.”

  The soldier looked at his list. “Ah, yes. We have you listed as special guests and Prince Stoneblood would ask you to head directly to the castle. Just head straight through the city until you reach the north end of the canyon.”

  “Thank you,” said Hanna. The canyon opening was narrow and ran on an angle. As they went further into the canyon it opened into a wide valley. Glancing up at the mountains, Hanna realized the only way into the valley was the heavy gates and the enormous walls. Whoever had picked the location of the new kingdom had picked a perfect location for defending against attack. It was obvious that Nathan didn’t want to repeat the exodus of both Pailtar and Balta.

  It didn’t take long before the first signs of magic greeted them. The main road through the valley was lit on both sides by floating magical orbs. As they grew near to a pair of orbs they would brighten and change color from a soft white to a rainbow of colors that swirled together. As they moved past the orbs they returned to a soft white. It was a beautiful display.

  “What do you think, Magnus, are the pretty lights an evil mage trick?” asked Katla.

  Magnus shook his head. “You aren’t going to forgive me for my comments, are you?”

  Katla smiled sweetly. “Maybe, but I’m not going to let you forget them anytime soon.”

  “The lights are very beautiful,” said Elga. “I never knew magic could be so artistic.”

  “If I know Nathan, these are just the beginning,” said Hanna.

  As they reached the city, the heart of Elderwood, Hanna couldn’t help but be impressed at how many buildings there were. An entire city built within a year. Even with the use of magic it was an amazing feat. The city looked well structured. The streets organized in basic patterns for traffic flow and common usage. Businesses filled the main streets while homes filled the outer streets. It was interesting to see a city built from scratch. Most cities started as villages and over decades, if not longer, slowly changed and morphed into a bigger city. The people of Balta seemed happy, everywhere she looked she saw smiling faces, or those of people with minor concerns. The faces of a city told a lot about the rulership. Elderwood was off to a good start.

  17

  “What would you like to do today?” Nathan asked Camille. Yesterday they hadn’t gotten a chance to speak together alone, but today her mother was with Demarion Black discussing the differences between how magic was taught in Balta versus Silver Vale. Knowing Demarion, it was a conversation that would take all day and not be anywhere near a conclusion.

  Camille finished her sweet roll. “Why don’t you show me around? I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the castle and then the valley.”

  Nathan nodded. “Sure. Did you want another roll? Or should we go now?”

  Camille stood, shaking off the invitation for another sweet roll. “No. I am full. You weren’t lying, your cook is amazing. So where does the tour start?” Camille said with a wink.

  Nathan stood and waved his arms. “Here we have the kitchen, the domain of the lovely Miss Maggie. For large, or formal dinners the adjacent room is used. It has a lovely large table—”

  “I know what a dining room is. Why don’t we start this tour at the front doors and you can explain how and why you built it into the mountain.”

  Nathan chuckled. “But I was just getting to the good part, the chairs.”

  Camille rolled her eyes. And led the way to the main front doors of the castle. She stood and looked around, waiting for Nathan.

  Nathan looked around as well. The castle had become so much more than he’d originally thought it would be, both in size and function. “After I learned that Aunt Avera and the rest of Balta had fled from Lord Zellox, we started looking for a new home. Count Mavane started the whole process by granting me the lands from the original village of Elderwood to the opening of the mountain pass into the north. That narrow strip became the official border. As long as we built to the west of that strip of land we had the count’s blessing. Ailred, one of my northern companions discovered this canyon and realized it’s potential. The narrow canyon opening is easily defended, but the rich valley inside has plenty of fertile land and its own water supply. Once we decided that this was the place, we started planning and organizing. The fear that Lord Zellox would follow us from Balta was a legitimate concern so one of our primary focuses was building the outer walls to protect the canyon.” Nathan lifted his hands, so they were facing straight out. “This was a straight rock face when we started, perfect for building blocks. And that wasn’t really my idea. Demarion Black and Lilliana Clairmont were the ones that made me realize that I could use my earth magic to mold and cut the mountain into building blocks to be used for the wall. Once we learned how to do it, it became fairly easy. I’d cut the blocks and the magic school teachers and students used levitation spells to move the blocks and build the wall. At first, we only used about half of the width of the castle but as we needed more building stones and started other projects we kept expanding. And between Demarion and Aunt Avera they kept pushing me to accept the need for a castle, even a small one.”

  “Fascinating. You really cut those stones for the wall out of the mountain. What did you use?”

  “A really big magical knife,” Nathan said with a laugh.

  Camille smiled. “I would like to have seen that. Now tell me why the doors open right into the great room?”.

  “That is my fault. I wanted this castle to be like Aunt Avera’s home in Balta, but once we started talking about what type of functions we would be hosting here, and how many people she expected to visit, it became apparent that my idea wasn’t going to work. That was about the same time we started going deeper and wider into the mountain. I thought the best thing to do was just leave the opening empty and then fill it in later with rooms using wooden walls. Which would’ve ended up a disaster. Thankfully Avera and Lilliana kind of took over the castle planning and I stuck to cutting rocks.”

  “I like it.”

  Nathan smiled. “Wait until you see what we’ve done for the festival.” Nathan placed his hands against the stone wall and the magical lighting in the great room dimmed down, but then tiny little magic sparks started falling from the ceiling almost as if it was snowing. The sparks faded away as they got closer to the ground. Meanwhile the room started to fill with the sound of music. Nathan then touched the wall again and the music stopped, and the lighting returned to normal.

  “Beautiful,” Camille said. “How did you do the music?”

  “That was my cousin, Quinton. He is an illusion genius. He used magic to record the songs of the royal musicians. During the festival, the musicians will be playing in the main city pavilion and we’ll have the music here as well.”

  “Very impressive. What is next on the tour?”

  Nathan scratched his head, what else was there to see? “Once the main section of the castle was built I started working more out to the sides. I built myself quarters more to my liking and have been working on a new blacksmith shop.”

  “Show me,” Camille said.

  Nathan nodded, and they headed down the hallway past the kitchen and dining room and two storage rooms. At the end of the long hallway was a simple wooden door. “One of my favorite things about Avera’s home in Balta was the magic. Magic doors, magic lights, magic paintings. My bedroom door was magic and only let me or invited guests in.” Nathan put his hand against the door and a loud click sounded as the lock turned and the door opened. Inside, the suite was very basic. A small lounge with a table and a few chairs. In the future he intended t
o decorate with paintings from Quinton and perhaps a small couch, but he was hardly ever in there and finding the time was difficult. As it was, he had barely completed the blacksmith shop and that had been his biggest priority.

  “Not bad. A little bare but I suppose that is to be expected. Wait. Is that a blacksmith shop?”

  Nathan nodded.

  “OK. Now I am impressed. Do you make black steel weapons?”

  Nathan handed her his own dagger. It wasn’t one of his sword-breaker daggers that he’d made with his father, but a smaller, and more discreet one for carrying when in Elderwood.

  Camille examined the weapon. Flipping it expertly in her hand. “I noticed your weapons when you came to Layton, but I didn’t realize you’d made them. Your workmanship is excellent.”

  “Thank you. My father was an excellent teacher. He loved working in his workshop. That is his anvil, I had it moved here. Some of my happiest memories are of working with him, learning how to work the fires and tease the metals until they combined into something stronger than what we started with.”

  “Can you show me? I’d like to see you work,” Camille said.

  “Sure. What would you like? It will be my ‘welcome to Elderwood’ gift to you.”

  Camille grinned. “Seriously? Anything I want?”

  Nathan nodded.

  “A sword.”

  “It will take a while.”